South East Queensland Region Research Articles

Porewater exchange and iron transformation in a coastal groundwater system: a field investigation, driving mechanisms analysis, and conceptual model

The high concentration of dissolved iron (Fe) in coastal waters triggers Lyngbya blooms in the Moreton Bay region of Southeast Queensland, Australia. Previous studies have provided a restricted understanding of how land-derived Fe is transported and then transformed into other forms (e.g., Fe oxides) before its release into the ocean. Here, a field investigation was conducted at a sandy beach on the northern end of Deception Bay, Queensland, Australia, focusing on porewater exchange and Fe transformation. This study revealed that tides provided a significant mechanism for driving the groundwater-seawater mixing in the intertidal area. Such forcing formed an upper saline plume (USP) with high dissolved oxygen (DO), creating a dynamic reaction zone for Fe oxidation and precipitation beneath the USP. The spatial distribution of Fe oxides highlighted a substantial Fe content in the subsurface, providing concrete evidence for the transformation of Fe from an aqueous state to a solid form. It also exhibited a low-permeable area that served as a geochemical barrier, absorbing chemical components like phosphate. These findings can assist in constructing a more accurate transport model that couples physical and geochemical processes to quantify the mechanisms driving Fe transformation in coastal areas and further deepen our comprehension of the hydrogeochemical functionalities in land-ocean connectivity via groundwater.

The effect of cystic echinococcosis (hydatid disease) on carcase weight in cattle in eastern Australia

Cystic echinococcosis is caused by the zoonotic tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus. There has been ongoing controversy over whether it causes weight loss in cattle. Recently implemented recording of comorbidities at processors has provided opportunity to investigate this effect. Using prevalence-based observational data from 1,648,049 adult cattle processed in seven states and territories in Australia (2019–2022), we explored associations between carcase weight, hydatid cysts, comorbidities, sex, age, and region. Linear mixed-effect regression models estimated the effect of cystic echinococcosis on carcase weight, guided by directed acyclic graphs to reduce bias. The highest, previously unreported, prevalence was in the southeast Queensland region. The estimated effect of cystic echinococcosis cysts on carcase weight ranged from a gain of 0.32 kg/carcase (standard error [se] 0.58 kg; two-tooth 2022) to a loss of −5.45 kg/carcase (se 0.63 kg; six-tooth 2019) with most point estimates (11/16) between 0 and −2.5 kg across all cattle grouped by year and dentition. This effect size would be practically undetectable in live cattle which is an important finding; cattle producers are unlikely to observe increased productivity through weight gain from cystic echinococcosis prevention in cattle, and awareness to strengthen prevention in domestic dogs around cattle properties to reduce human risk remains a public health focus.

Exposure dynamics of Ross River virus in horses - Horses as potential sentinels (a One Health approach).

Ross River virus (RRV), the most medically and economically important arbovirus in Australia, has been the most prevalent arbovirus infections in humans for many years. Infected humans and horses often suffer similar clinical symptoms. We conducted a prospective longitudinal study over a 3.5-year period to investigate the exposure dynamics of RRV in three foal cohorts (n=32) born in a subtropical region of South East Queensland, Australia, between 2020 and 2022. RRV-specific seroconversion was detected in 56% (n=18) of foals with a median time to seroconversion, after waning of maternal antibodies, of 429days (95% CI: 294-582). The median age at seroconversion was 69weeks (95% CI: 53-57). Seroconversion events were only detected between December and March (Southern Hemisphere summer) over the entire study period. Cox proportion hazards regression analyses revealed that seroconversions were significantly (p<0.05) associated with air temperature in the month of seroconversion. Time-lags in meteorological variables were not significantly (p>0.05) associated with seroconversion, except for relative humidity (p=0.036 at 2-month time-lag). This is in contrast to research results of RRV infection in humans, which peaked between March and May (Autumn) and with a 0-3month time-lag for various meteorological risk factors. Therefore, horses may be suitable sentinels for monitoring active arbovirus circulation and could be used for early arbovirus outbreak detection in human populations.

The Sustainability of Using DuraCrete as Cement Additive to Estuarine Soft Soil Stabilization

Large areas of estuarine deposits exist on the coastal plains of the southeast Queensland coast with a countered depth of up to 30 m. These deposits are categorized as sediments that originated during the Holocene Age. The sediments have not been consolidated or subjected to considerable pressure since the end of the Ice Age. The structure of these deposits consists of large ratios of porosity, causing high soil compressibility, which lowers the bearing capacity of the soils. Therefore, the soils of the region cannot maintain sufficient support for construction loads, and consequent malfunctions could occur in short-term and long-term periods. The objective of this paper is to investigate the suitability of new soil stabilization additives in the southeast Queensland region and the optimum additive content of cementitious materials and an advanced mixing modifier branded as DuraCrete. A combination of Portland cement and DuraCrete was used as a soil additive. Three DuraCrete-to-cement ratios were used: 2%, 3%, and 4% by weight. Soil collected from the Port of Brisbane region was treated by adding the additives as a percentage of its weight; four percentages were considered: 10%, 20%, 25%, and 30% for each combination of additives. The performance of the treated soils was examined under unconfined compression after 28 days of curing. The results revealed that increases in the unconfined compressive strength were detected as DuraCrete was added to the mixtures. For 30% additives, increases of about 15%, 34%, and 17% were detected when DuraCrete was added as 2%, 3%, and 4%, respectively. The results also revealed that 3% DuraCrete content provided significant stabilization compared to 2% and 4% for 25% and 30% additive-treated soils; such behavior was also observed for the specimens of 25% content of additives. Additionally, DuraCrete can be considered a promising material that can be combined with cement to obtain the desired stabilization of soft soils.

Correlation between dissolubilities of Si, Al, and Fe from aluminosilicate precursor and strength of fly ash-based geopolymer

Fly ash (FA) is the most used aluminosilicate precursor to synthesize geopolymer. However, as a coal-combustion by-product, the inherent characteristics of FA can be significantly altered by multiple factors such as coal sources, combustion temperatures, particle size, and impurity level. Thus, unstable performances of FA-based geopolymer due to extremely varied reactivity of FA have been widely reported in the literature and are limiting the further valorization of FA. To offset the inconsistent characteristics of FA, this study provides a universal index to quantify and evaluate its reactivity to be used as aluminosilicate precursor feedstock. Alkali leaching tests were conducted on seven types of FA sourced from six different coal power plants in the Southeast Queensland region to determine the dissolubilities and dissolution efficiencies of reactive Si and Al within 2 h. The dissolubility and dissolution efficiency demonstrated decent correlations with the mechanical properties of the resultant FA-based geopolymer, especially 7-day strength. Moreover, bulk and reactive Si/Al molar ratios were derived to distinguish each type of FA further and verified by scanning electron microscopy / energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Lastly, a reactivity index considering the dissolution efficiency of Si, Al, and Fe and reactive Si/Al molar ratios was developed and correlated to the mechanical properties of FA-based geopolymer. Dissolubility at a leaching time of 30 min best reflected the reactivity of FA, having the highest correlation coefficient of 0.82.

Modeling Socioeconomic Determinants of Building Fires through Backward Elimination by Robust Final Prediction Error Criterion

Fires in buildings are significant public safety hazards and can result in fatalities and substantial financial losses. Studies have shown that the socioeconomic makeup of a region can impact the occurrence of building fires. However, existing models based on the classical stepwise regression procedure have limitations. This paper proposes a more accurate predictive model of building fire rates using a set of socioeconomic variables. To improve the model’s forecasting ability, a backward elimination by robust final predictor error (RFPE) criterion is introduced. The proposed approach is applied to census and fire incident data from the South East Queensland region of Australia. A cross-validation procedure is used to assess the model’s accuracy, and comparative analyses are conducted using other elimination criteria such as p-value, Akaike’s information criterion (AIC), Bayesian information criterion (BIC), and predicted residual error sum of squares (PRESS). The results demonstrate that the RFPE criterion is a more accurate predictive model based on several goodness-of-fit measures. Overall, the RFPE equation was found to be a suitable criterion for the backward elimination procedure in the socioeconomic modeling of building fires.

Spatial genetic structure and gene flow of the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), in a rapidly urbanising landscape

Urban landscapes contain many barriers to wildlife movement and gene flow, particularly for large terrestrial mammals with extensive natural home ranges. Eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) are a large macropodid, whose biological range partially coincides with areas subjected to high rates of urban expansion, including the Southeast Queensland (SEQ) bioregion of Australia. Within this region, M. giganteus populations have had recent, rapid declines in numbers with ongoing urbanisation posing a significant threat due to the isolation of populations. Therefore, we investigated the genetic profile of kangaroos in a rapidly urbanising SEQ region (Sunshine Coast) by comparing them to other SEQ kangaroos (Greater Brisbane) and to higher density kangaroo populations in a landscape matrix with greater levels of connectivity (Australian Capital Territory; ACT). We utilised a targeted genetic probe of genome-wide SNPs to obtain baseline genetic profiles of M. giganteus using scat samples collected from 24 sites in the Sunshine Coast (n = 103) and compared these to Greater Brisbane (n = 20) and ACT (n = 29) scat samples. Genetic diversity was similar when comparing the ACT, Sunshine Coast and Greater Brisbane regions (HE: 0.224–0.238), yet effective population size was markedly higher for the ACT region (Ne = 3453) than for both the Sunshine Coast and Greater Brisbane (Ne = 43.3 and 25.0, respectively), with clear genetic differentiation on a regional scale. We also identified six genetic groups within our SEQ study area, with significant differences in genetic diversity (HE: 0.188 – 0.289). The presence of high numbers of private alleles in all regions and within some SEQ populations highlights the conservation significance of preserving local populations. We also identified natural and anthropogenic barriers, which may have impacted genetic processes such as gene flow in the region. Therefore, this research highlights the need for localised management of kangaroo populations to preserve genetic diversity and structure in the SEQ region, by maintaining and improving landscape connectivity. We emphasise that for the conservation of local and global biodiversity, it is imperative to assess baseline genetic status of both common and threatened species, particularly when declines and extirpations are occurring across these species’ ranges.

Biofumigation: A Cover Crop Option 12 Months of the Year to Manage Three Soilborne Pathogens Ailing the Australian Vegetable Industry

Brassica biofumigant cover crops are being increasingly considered in vegetable crop rotations as part of an integrated disease management strategy and simply as a cover cropping choice. Nine biofumigant varieties were assessed to see if they could be grown year-round in the Lockyer Valley South East Queensland region, for yield, days to incorporation and glucosinolate concentrations, as well as efficacy against 3 soilborne pathogens; Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Sclerotium rolfsii and Macrophomina phaseolina. The fastest growing brassica biofumigant was BQ Mulch which reached 25% flowering in 36 and 59 days from planting to incorporation with a summer and winter planting respectively. Nemcon and Nemclear took the longest to incorporation when planted in summer, 101 days and failed to flower, while Caliente, Tillage Radish and Biofum reached 25% flowering and incorporation in 98 days when planted in winter. BQ Mulch produced the least amount of biomass, 30.93 t/ha fresh weight and 2.92 t/ha dry weight with a summer planting. Biofum producing the greatest amount of biomass, 185.76 t/ha fresh weight and 17.34 t/ha dry weight with a summer and winter planting respectively. Most varieties produced more total glucosinolates during summer compared to winter. Caliente produced the highest levels of Total GSLs with 53.47 µmol/g DW in summer compared to 23.78 µmol/g DW in winter. This was reflected in their efficacy against the soilborne pathogens. Caliente and Mustclean were more efficacious at controlling Macrophomina and Sclerotinia in summer compared to winter while all varieties were more efficacious at controlling Sclerotinia with a summer planting compared to a winter planting.

Factors associated with medication adherence among people living with COPD: Pharmacists' perspectives

BackgroundWhile medication is an integral part of the effective management of COPD, more than 50% of people living with COPD do not adhere to their prescribed medications. The drivers underpinning this observed behaviour are poorly understood. As pharmacists generally have the final interaction with patients prior to their use of medications, their perspectives may offer insights about patients' medication use that may improve our understanding of this complex issue. ObjectiveThis study explored pharmacists' experiences of providing care for patients living with COPD to gain insight about factors that impact their medication-taking behaviour. MethodsFourteen pharmacists who worked in practice settings across the South-East Queensland region of Australia participated in interviews between March 2019 and January 2020. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analysed. ResultsTwo overarching themes were identified which modulated medication-taking behaviour. Barriers comprised patient-related factors including, financial constraints, poor inhaler technique, and inaccurate beliefs; alongside pharmacist-related factors such as a lack of COPD-specific training and time constraints. Factors that promote adherence included patient education and monitoring and collaborative relationships between key stakeholders. ConclusionsMedication non-adherence is common. While pharmacists expressed a desire to better support their patients, practical strategies to overcome the challenges that they face in clinical settings are lacking. Future research should focus on exploring ways to engage patients at the pharmacy level thereby enhancing the provision of services that would optimise medication adherence.

After the dust settles: Community resilience legacies of unconventional gas development

This paper explores the socio-economic legacy created by an extractive industry as it developed, or sought to develop, in nine different communities or regions across Australia, Canada, the United States, and Wales – drawing on mixed-method research collected between 2011 and 2018. By the early 2010s, a number of unconventional fossil fuel companies were securing land access agreements for seismic and drilling exploration in the Western Downs region of South-East Queensland, the Northern Rivers region of North-Eastern New South Wales, the states of New York and Pennsylvania, the Province of New Brunswick, and southern Wales. Stark cultural, social and environmental contrasts between communities within each nation shaped community responses to potential industry development – levels of social license for developments, community responses and subsequent unconventional fossil fuel development varied widely. This article explores the impact of the industry on community resilience. A resilient community is likely to have high social capital, including strong social networks, feelings of safety and trust, sense of belonging, diversity, citizen power and participation. These social responses to the industry, combined with the existing local contexts and the differing regulatory frameworks of each community/region, can be argued to have led to divergent effects on overall community social and economic resilience across our case studies. Power, industrial impacts, relationships, resources, social action, timing of the debates, equity concerns, and strategic decision making (or lack thereof) shaped the degree of resilience with which each community/region responded. In four of our cases, resilience declined (e.g., due to increased economic homogenisation, decreasing social connectivity and citizen power); in five cases resilience increased (e.g., the legacy created by the emergence of social movements substantially increased social connectivity, sense of belonging and citizen power).

An appreciative inquiry to identify the continuing education needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners in regional Queensland

Abstract Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners (Practitioners) have a broad scope of practice and play a pivotal role in addressing health disparities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Practitioners are required to maintain knowledge and skill levels to provide ongoing quality care. However, continuing education (CE) opportunities for Practitioners in regional areas are limited and little is known about the types of CE best suited to Practitioners. This study aimed to identify the CE needs of Practitioners working in a South-East Queensland region in Australia. Participatory action research and appreciative inquiry were combined in this multi-staged study. A local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advisory group provided cultural guidance for the study design and implementation. Supervisors and Practitioners from two Aboriginal Medical Services consented to participate. In stage one of this study, the supervisors were interviewed and the Practitioners contributed to focus groups. The Practitioners prioritised their CE needs in the second study stage using a questionnaire. The participants identified Practitioner CE needs and group 2 listed their career aspirations and the best practitioners were described as ‘Deadly’. The Deadly practitioner had diverse practice knowledge, skills and attributes. The Practitioners had career aspirations beyond their role and a desire to learn. However, their career advancement was stifled by a lack of CE opportunities. CE in regional areas is limited. Practitioners are disadvantaged by exclusion. Enhancing CE opportunities for Practitioners will positively impact the health of regional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities by building social capital. Therefore, future research on Practitioner roles and CE is needed.

Bone biomarkers in koalas: validation of assays and preliminary analyses.

Traumatic injury, including bone fracture, is, to date, one of the leading causes of koala mortality in the South East Queensland region of Australia. Further, the specialist diet of koalas, which is restricted to certain Eucalyptus spp., may impact their normal bone physiology. Considering the dramatic koala population decline and high incidence of trauma, a greater understanding of koala bone physiology may support conservation. We retrieved from GenBank the protein sequences of parathyroid hormone (PTH), osteocalcin (OCN), and tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNALP) in human, dog, cattle, horse, koala, and gray short-tailed opossum. After homology was determined, plasma samples from 13 koalas were analyzed with human PTH, OCN, and bone-specific ALP (BALP) assay kits. Although koala PTH exhibited relatively low sequence homology with placental mammals, high sequence homology between humans and koalas was observed for both OCN and TNALP, and successful cross-reactivity was achieved using human enzyme immunoassay kits for detection of OCN and BALP biomarkers in koala plasma. However, we identified no correlation between OCN and BALP concentrations of healthy and trauma-affected koalas (p = 0.66 and p = 0.79, respectively). Further analysis of OCN and BALP in healthy and diseased koalas will allow a better understanding of bone physiology in this unique marsupial.

Realizing dignity in housekeeping work: Evidence of five star hotels

This article illuminates the difficulties of achieving dignity at work for hotel room attendants working at 5-star hotels in the Gold Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia. This exploratory research was founded on socialist-feminist epistemologies. In-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of 46 hotel room attendants. A qualitative, social-constructivist, grounded-theory methodology was used to render the empirical material into a basic social structural process of achievement of dignity. Despite exploitation, marginalization and oppression imbued in their working conditions, hotel room attendants achieve dignity through personal inclinations, dispositions, capabilities and affective domain qualities. This research has implications for hospitality industry practice.

Concentrations of phthalate metabolites in Australian urine samples and their contribution to the per capita loads in wastewater

Exposure to phthalates is a public health concern. In this study, we collected both urine and wastewater samples from 2012 to 2017 and analysed for 14 phthalate metabolites to assess human exposure to phthalates in Southeast Queensland (SEQ), and for associations between phthalate metabolites in urine and wastewater samples. Twenty-four pooled urine samples were prepared from 2400 individual specimens every two years (stratified by age, gender and collection year). Wastewater samples were collected from the three major wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) representing locations in the SEQ region including a regional city, part of the state capital city and a third major urban WWTP in the region. Over the period, decreases for most phthalate metabolites, i.e. mono-butyl phthalate (MBP), mono-isobutyl phthalate (MiBP), monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP), monocyclohexyl phthalate (MCHP), mono(3-carboxypropyl) phthalate (MCPP), mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP), mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP), and monomethyl phthalate (MMP), but an increase in monoethyl phthalate (MEP, particularly in young children) were observed in urine. In general, temporal changes were smaller in urine pools representing older age groups. We also found substantial variation in per capita mass loads of phthalate metabolites between samples from the three WWTPs with generally higher concentrations of most phthalates in the metropolitan areas. Per capita mass loads of most phthalate metabolites in wastewater were higher than would be expected from the per-capita excretion in urine, suggesting there are additional sources contributing to the majority of the observed phthalate metabolites in wastewater. For MEHHP and MEOHP we estimate that the urinary excretion accounts for a substantial fraction (average about 50%) of the mass load observed in the wastewater hence wastewater data may provide useful for monitoring trends in exposure.

How can transport impacts of urban growth be modelled? An approach to consider spatial and temporal scales

The urban transport sector is responsible for a considerable portion of the global greenhouse gas emissions, and considered as a primary contributor of environmental pollutants. This study aims to explore ways to compare transport impacts of alternative urban growth scenarios at different spatial and temporal scales. To achieve this aim, alternative policy scenarios and various transport impact indicators were synthesized from a Delphi survey. Four alternative urban growth scenarios (i.e., business-as-usual, environment-focused, economy-focused, balanced scenarios) for the South East Queensland Region of Australia were evaluated by comparing selected indicator values from transportation models developed for three spatial (i.e., region, city, local) and four temporal (i.e., 2016, 2021, 2031, 2041) scales. The results of the analysis disclose that policies under the balanced scenario make the highest contribution towards achieving sustainable urban development—as this scenario generates the least travel time, travel distance, and traffic congestion. The findings reveal that the empirical approach put forward in this paper is useful to inform urban policymaking, and assist urban policymakers, urban/transport planners, practitioners, and stakeholders.

An extended cloud analysis method for seismic fragility assessment of highway bridges

In this paper, an extended Cloud analysis method is developed for seismic fragility assessment of existing highway bridges in the southeast Queensland region. This method extends the original Cloud analysis dataset by performing scaled Cloud analyses. The original and scaled Cloud datasets are then paired to generate seismic fragility curves. The seismic hazard in this region is critically reviewed, and the ground motion records are selected for the time-history analysis based on various record selection criteria. A parametric highway bridge model is developed in the OpenSees analysis software, and a sampling technique is employed to quantify the uncertainties of highway bridges ubiquitous in this region. Technical recommendations are also given for the seismic performance evaluation of highway bridges in such low-to-moderate seismic zones. Finally, a probabilistic fragility study is conducted by performing a total of 8000 time-history analyses and representative bridge fragility curves are generated. It is illustrated that the seismic fragility curves generated by the proposed extended Cloud analysis method are in close agreement with those which are obtained by the rigorous incremental dynamic analysis method. Also, it reveals that more than 50% of highway bridges existing in southeast Queensland will be damaged subject to a peak ground acceleration of 0.14 g.

Spatio-temporal drought risk mapping approach and its application in the drought-prone region of south-east Queensland, Australia

Strategic management of water resources in drought-vulnerable regions can be greatly hampered by frequent, severe and long-lasting droughts. To enable better drought relief policy and amicable solutions and proactive actions for preparedness and mitigation of drought impacts, this study adopts a spatio-temporal methodology for the assessment of drought risk of drought-prone areas in south-east Queensland, Australia. In this study, the spatially representative depiction of the drought risk in a drought-prone region with multiple vulnerability, exposure and drought hazard indicators is considered in order to develop a geographic information systems-based drought risk mapping tool. Spatial indicators of drought are categorised into various subclasses, and the conditional joint probability of each indicator is the determined in accordance with the Bayes theorem. The fuzzy logic approach is then embraced as a new approach in this study to standardise the different drought factors on a range of 0–1 followed by an aggregation of drought vulnerability, exposure and hazard indices using the fuzzy GAMMA overlay operation in ArcGIS 10.5 to produce the optimal drought risk map for the case study region. The analysis of drought’s different phases shows varying vulnerability levels in different austral seasons (summer, autumn and spring of 2007) and annually (2007, 2009 and 2013) that is well represented by drought hazard index, i.e. rainfall departure. The application of the fuzzy set to incorporate and classify drought factors reveals its useful implications for handling of spatial drought-related data and the development of the drought risk index. The validation of the method performed with upper and lower layer soil moisture data reveals significant correlation with the drought risk index. The study has implications for drought risk mapping, particularly in utilising the ability of the fuzzy logic-based analytical technique integrated with GIS-based mapping tools for spatio-temporal drought risk studies. The approach in this paper can be considered as a practical mapping tool for drought studies, to better enable drought management, drought mitigation and relief-planning actions that need to be implemented by different decision-makers in water resources, agriculture and other socio-economic areas.

Meteorological factors and respiratory syncytial virus seasonality in subtropical Australia.

Evidence is emerging regarding the influence of meteorological factors on seasonal respiratory syncytial virus outbreaks. Data however, are limited for subtropical regions, especially in the southern hemisphere. We examined whether meteorological data (daily minimum and maximum temperatures, rainfall, relative humidity, dew point, daily global solar exposure) and tourist numbers were associated with the incidence of RSV in children aged <5 years for the Gold Coast region of South-East Queensland, Australia (latitude 28.0°S). RSV cases between 1 July 2007 and 30 June 2016 were identified from the Pathology Queensland Gold Coast Laboratory database. Time-series methods were used to identify seasonal patterns. RSV activity peaked in mid-to-late autumn (April-May), tapering in winter (June-August). While most meteorological variables measured were associated with RSV incidence, rainfall (ρ = 0.40, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.32-0.48) and humidity (ρ = 0.38, 95% CI 0.29-0.46) 8 weeks earlier had the nearest temporal relationship. Tourist numbers were not correlated with RSV activity. Identifying meteorological conditions associated with seasonal RSV epidemics can improve understanding of virus transmission and assist planning for their impact upon the health sector, including timing of passive RSV immunoprophylaxis for high-risk infants and future public health interventions, such as maternal immunisation with RSV vaccines.

Hotel room attendants’ delivery of quality service

Illuminating the physical difficulties experienced by hotel room attendants in delivering service quality at five-star hotels on the Gold Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia, our research was founded on socialist-feminist and critical theory epistemologies. In-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of 46 hotel room attendants. We used a qualitative, social-constructivist, grounded theory methodology to render the empirical material into a basic social structural process of tasking. Tasking offers a conceptual framework of room attendants’ daily employment experiences as they transform hotel rooms to prescribed standards. Tasking illustrates the high physical demands placed on room attendants, tantamount to exploitation from their own perspectives. Tasking contributes to research on employment experiences in hospitality, particularly on hotel praxis, delivery of quality customer service and the operational demands placed on room attendants. This paper presents the results of the first i...

The spatial distribution of rainfall extremes and the influence of El Niño Southern Oscillation

Extreme rainfall does not occur in spatial isolation. Rainfall occurs in a region, and within that region nearby locations are likely to experience similar impacts due to spatial dependence. While univariate extreme value models provide the easiest statistical modelling approach to rainfall extremes, practitioners and researchers adopting statistical models without spatial dependence are liable to underestimate potential impacts. To minimise the adverse impacts of extreme rainfall, an understanding of the extreme precipitation field is required. To highlight how a spatial model with dependence compares with univariate models of extremes, a max-stable model is fitted to the daily annual maximum rainfall in a case study region of South East Queensland, Australia. This case study region was selected as it can be used to illustrate how climate drivers, such as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), can affect the extreme precipitation field and subsequently the distribution of spatial random variables. In adopting a max-stable model it is possible to produce simulations of the daily annual maximum rainfall field. These simulations can be used to inform urban planning strategies. This includes showing that the probability of a historical flash flood occurring was much higher given the strong La Niña phase of ENSO compared with an El Niño phase. The results presented aim to shift the dialogue from a univariate discussion to a discussion about how models of spatial extremes with dependence can be used to better understand the probability of extreme rainfall events and account for the influence of ENSO.