Central West Research Articles

Three decades of variability and warming of nearshore waters around Tasmania

The ocean region around Tasmania forms an interface between major ocean basins and represents a significant global ocean hotspot due to a rate of warming higher than the global average. Nearshore Tasmanian waters are of central importance for shallow-water ecosystems and a range of human activities, including recreation, aquaculture and fisheries which have become increasingly impacted by warming in recent decades. However, the fine-scale spatial and temporal variability of sea surface temperature (SST) in these waters is not well understood, limiting opportunities for effective local-scale mitigation and adaptation measures in the face of ongoing warming. We use a high-resolution (0.02 °x 0.02°, 1992–2020) satellite SST received at local stations (validated against in situ temperature) to explore variability over seasonal, interannual, decadal and multi-decadal timescales at spatial scales from the nearshore up to the entire study domain. The SST is used as a proxy for seasonal circulation by removal of the broad-scale radiative forcing (estimated by a region-wide latitudinal gradient of SST). The main circulation drivers of nearshore SST are the East Australian Current Extension (EACx) and Zeehan Current (ZC) acting on the east and west coasts with respective peaks in summer and winter. New results include the seasonality of three summer upwelling systems, the first direct evidence of EACx inflow into eastern Bass Strait, a time series of the endpoint of the ZC/EACx intersection, and a full year description of the ZC, from warm winter inflow transitioning into a summer cooler than ambient intrusion. We find that local SST variations are controlled by coastal geometry with intensified atmospheric forcing in enclosed waters. We have identified two modes of low frequency SST variability (including 1, 2 and 10-year periods) associated with the EACx (63% of the variance) and the ZC (12%). The EACx mode induces a rapid adjustment of the entire ocean region around Tasmania. Multi-decadal warming trends occur in all regions, modulated by coastal boundary flows, changes in upwelling mechanisms and local topography. Trends in the eastern shelf arise from intrusions of EACx waters, with local processes driving trends on the western shelf. Both east and west nearshore SST trends are around + 0.4°C decade−1 with the highest value of + 0.55°C decade−1 on the central west coast, possibly associated with outflow from Macquarie Harbour.

Fitting statistical probability distribution for evaporation in western Brazil

This study aims to find evaporation (ETo) probabilities for the central west region of Brazil, including Campo Grande, Cuiabá, Goiânia and Brasilia. In this case, a maximum likelihood estimation was used for the probability distributions adjusting to the monthly ETo from 1960 to 2020. The work estimates three probability distributions, including the Generalized Extreme Values (GEV), Gumbel (GUM) and Log-Normal (LN). The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, the Akaike information criterion (AIC), the Bayesian information criterion (BIC), the root mean square error (RMSE) and the coefficient of determination (R2) were applied to measure the quality of the adjustment. The evapotranspiration forecasts were made for the return periods of 10, 30, 50, and 100 years. The GEV and GUM distributions are advised for use during the summer. Altering LN distribution to a sequence of ETo throughout the winter months is the best option. Moreover, deforestation, combustion, extensive fires, aerosol pollutants, and climate change are the primary causes of excessive ETo in the area under study.

First Report of the Branched Broomrape (Phelipanche schultzii (Mutel) Pomel.) on Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) in Morocco

Holoparasitic broomrape weeds (Orobanche and Phelipanche spp.) are a major biotic constraint limiting the production of important food crops. Parasitism caused by Phelipanche spp. is considered to be a serious threat, particularly in the Mediterranean region. In this study, the broomrape species collected from infested fennel fields in Sid L’Mokhtar in the Central West of Morocco was described and identified morphologically and molecularly. For molecular identification, 700 bp ITS regions were PCR-amplified from two representative individuals, OA and OY-4. The obtained sequences exhibited more than 99% similarity with the P. schultzii sequence (MT026593). In addition, maximum likelihood analysis placed our species with other referred P. schultzii in the same clade. Through molecular analysis, the broomrape species attacking fennel was identified as P. schultzii. This is the first record of the broomrape species P. schultzii parasitizing fennel (Foeniculum vulgare syn. Foeniculum officinale) in Morocco. Therefore, it should be considered that this parasite could spread to other cultivated fields causing severe yield losses, requiring urgent action through efficient control measures to avoid further spread of this parasitic weed.

The quality matters: Assessing the roles of patch quality and configuration on the abundance of an invading cerambycid species through a multi‐model inference approach

Abstract Landscape ecology studies are based on the concept that most local phenomena cannot be completely understood without considering the role of the surrounding landscape. A key factor in landscape ecology is the heterogeneous distribution of resources that different species use for food and reproduction. In this paper, we analyse the role of patch quality together with landscape attributes on the distribution and abundance of Arhopalus rusticus in the central west of Córdoba Province in Argentina. Land cover was estimated using Landsat 8 scenes. Landscape was quantified by estimating the focal patch area, the distance to nearest pine patch and the quality of the patch through the enhanced vegetation index obtained from the MODIS satellite. Generalised linear mixed models were employed to analyse the relationship between the independent variables and A. rusticus abundance. A multi‐model inference approach was employed to select the best model. The distance to nearest pine patch and the enhanced vegetation index of the previous year showed a negative relationship with A. rusticus abundance, while the relationship with the focal patch area and the enhanced vegetation index of the year in which the sampling took place was positive. Our results show that although landscape pattern of pine patches affects the invading capability of A. rusticus in a direct way, the forest patch quality is an important factor that limits the capability of the insect to establish itself in an area.

FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI EFEKTIVITAS PENYERAPAN ANGGARAN DI BALAI BESAR KONSERVASI SDA JAWA BARAT

The State Revenue and Expenditure Budget as an acceleration of budget implementation is needed to support sustainable national development programs by optimizing the role of state revenues and expenditures, especially Ministry/Institution revenue and spending on economic growth each year. A good understanding of the mechanisms for compiling Ministry/Institution budgets is very important to be understood by various parties, especially in the framework of achieving optimal work unit goals and functions. The aim of the study was to find out the condition of stakeholder participation in budgeting, the budget revision process and how these factors affect the effectiveness of budget spending at the West Java Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA). The research methodology is descriptive quantitative using primary data collected from users of the West Java Province BKSDA budget for the period 2019 to 2021. The data collection method is questionnaire interviews. The results of the study show that some budgetary participation has a significant effect on the effectiveness of budget absorption, but partial budget revisions have no significant effect on the effectiveness of budget spending. Meanwhile, simultaneous budget participation and budget revision affect the effectiveness of budget absorption. The policy of participation in budget preparation and budget revision needs to be further enhanced by the BKSDA of West Java Province so that the achievement of the effectiveness of budget absorption can be more optimal
 Keyword: Participation, Revision, Budget Absorption Effectiveness

Feeding habits and reproductive biology of the rabbitfish, Siganus vermiculatus, along the central west coast of India

Feeding habits and reproductive biology of the rabbitfish, Siganus vermiculatus, along the central west coast of India

Prevalence and correlators of burnout among health professionals during different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in China.

Persistently increased workload and stress occurred in health professionals (HPs) during the past 3 years as the COVID-19 pandemic continued. The current study seeks to explore the prevalence of and correlators of HPs' burnout during different stages of the pandemic. Three repeated online studies were conducted in different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic: wave 1: after the first peak of the pandemic, wave 2: the early period of the zero-COVID policy, and wave 3: the second peak of the pandemic in China. Two dimensions of burnout, emotional exhaustion (EE) and declined personal accomplishment (DPA), were assessed using Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel (MBI-HSMP), a 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and a 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) to assess mental health conditions. An unconditional logistic regression model was employed to discern the correlators. There was an overall prevalence of depression (34.9%), anxiety (22.5%), EE (44.6%), and DPA (36.5%) in the participants; the highest prevalence of EE and DPA was discovered in the first wave (47.4% and 36.5%, respectively), then the second wave (44.9% and 34.0%), and the third wave had the lowest prevalence of 42.3% and 32.2%. Depressive symptoms and anxiety were persistently correlated with a higher prevalence risk of both EE and DPA. Workplace violence led to a higher prevalence risk of EE (wave 1: OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.16-1.63), and women (wave 1: OR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.00-1.42; wave 3: OR =1.20, 95% CI:1.01-1.44) and those living in a central area (wave 2: OR = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.20-2.31) or west area (wave 2: OR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.26-1.87) also had a higher prevalence risk of EE. In contrast, those over 50 years of age (wave 1: OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.39-0.96; wave 3: OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.38-0.95) and who provided care to patients with COVID-19 (wave 2: OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.57-0.92) had a lower risk of EE. Working in the psychiatry section (wave 1: OR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.01-1.89) and being minorities (wave 2: OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.04-1.58) had a higher risk of DPA, while those over 50 years of age had a lower risk of DPA (wave 3: OR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.36-0.88). This three-wave cross-sectional study revealed that the prevalence of burnout among health professionals was at a high level persistently during the different stages of the pandemic. The results suggest that functional impairment prevention resources and programs may be inadequate and, as such, continuous monitoring of these variables could provide evidence for developing optimal strategies for saving human resources in the coming post-pandemic era.

Multi-resource potentiality and multi-hazard susceptibility assessments of the central west coast of India applying machine learning and geospatial techniques

Multi-resource potentiality and multi-hazard susceptibility assessments of the central west coast of India applying machine learning and geospatial techniques

Preliminary observations on the coral reef communities in Angria Bank, an isolated carbonate bank in the Northern Indian Ocean

Submerged carbonate banks are of significant geological and biological importance and relatively little is known about the biodiversity of these deeper and less accessible habitats. This study provides pilot information on the biodiversity and spatial distribution of the coral reef communities in Angria Bank, a submerged carbonate platform along the central west coast of India. An exploratory survey was carried out in January 2014 to document the habitat characteristics and biodiversity of different reef communities across a gradient from the western to the eastern edge of the Angria Bank. The western zone of the bank comprises rocky and coralline substrates in contrast to the eastern zone which is sandy with calcareous deposits. The overall biodiversity includes 16 genera of corals from 10 families and 82 species of reef fish from 26 families, comparatively lower than the other major reef formations in the Indian Ocean. The study sites between the depths of 25–29 m along the eastern edge of the bank host abundant and diverse coral communities. The macroalgae was equally abundant in three of the five dive sites along the east zone reflecting the homogeneous distribution of reef communities in the Angria bank. Other invertebrates including members of the phylum Porifera, Mollusca, Annelida, Arthropoda, Echinodermata, and Cnidaria account for 28 species. Angria Bank signifies a biodiversity hotspot and these remote habitats hold the potential to serve as a refugium for the shallow reef communities for a range of environmental disturbances. Further research to understand the effect of climate-associated stress on the reef communities of Angria bank is vital to evolve a conservation strategy to sustain the biodiversity and resilience of these communities.

Correlation Knowledge and Family Attitude with The Risk of Fall the Elderly in Barong Tongkok Health Center West Kutai

Introduction: Elderly or aging is a condition that occurs in human life. Aging is a lifelong process, not only starting from a certain time, but starting from the beginning of life. Growing old is a natural process, which means that a person has gone through three stages of life, namely children, adults and old both biologically and psychologically. Entering old age means experiencing various physical setbacks so that you experience the risk of falling. Methods: In this study, the research design used by the researcher was analytical research. Correlation analytic design with cross sectional approach with a total sample of 86 people. Results and Discussion: obtained p value 0.000 (<0.05) which means H1 is accepted and H0 is rejected, meaning that there is a relationship between knowledge and family attitudes with the risk of falling in the elderly at Barong Tongkok Health Center West Kutai in 2022. Conclusion: There is a relationship between knowledge and family attitudes with the risk of falling in the elderly at Barong Tongkok Health Center West Kutai in 2022

Effect of blood sampling management on reducing blood transfusions in very preterm infants.

Effect of blood sampling management on reducing blood transfusions in very preterm infants.

Cluster Analysis of Environmental Pollution in Indonesia Using Complete Linkage Method with Elbow Optimization

The issue of environmental contamination remains unsolved. The problem continues to have a substantial detrimental impact. This research aimed to identify provinces in Indonesia with high or low levels of environmental pollution so that the government may offer treatment to provinces with high levels of pollution and seek a significant reduction in the incidence of environmental pollution in Indonesia. Clustering is required to identify provinces with high and low pollution levels using the complete linkage method because this method can provide tight clusters and is less impacted by outliers. The analysis of the complete linkage method with Elbow optimization revealed two optimal clusters, namely high and low clusters. The high cluster consists of three provinces: Central Java, West Java, and East Java. The low cluster consists of 31 provinces. This research used a Silhouette Coefficient validity test. The value of the Silhouette Coefficient is 0.75. The value indicates that the data object is in the correct cluster and that the cluster structure is relatively strong.

A Study on the Impact of Teacher Turnover on Performance in the Ministry of Education – Malawi. A Case of Secondary School Teachers in The Central West Education Division (CWED)

A Study on the Impact of Teacher Turnover on Performance in the Ministry of Education – Malawi. A Case of Secondary School Teachers in The Central West Education Division (CWED)

5613514 PAVING THE WAY FOR GENETIC MEDICINE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: A REPORT ON THE FIRST GENETIC COUNSELLING PROGRAM IN THE REGION

Genetic disorders, chiefly sickle cell disease (SCD), pose a significant public health and developmental challenge in the sub-Saharan African region and genetic counsellors have a unique role to play in addressing this critical challenge in the region. Paradoxically, as at 2021, there were no postgraduate training programmes in human genetics in West Africa. Thus, whereas there were thousands of registered Genetic Counsellors in North America, there were about 25 in Africa, all in South Africa. In January 2022, the West African Genetic Medicine Centre (WAGMC) of the University of Ghana (UG), West Africa, inaugurated the first genetic counselling program in the sub-region. The two-year full-time accredited program aims to provide cutting edge training in the science of genetics while fostering a strong foundation in counselling. Graduates from the 2-year program further undertake one-year internship to be licensed as genetic counsellors by the Ghana Psychology Council, which is the body responsible for ensuring ethical genetic counselling practice in Ghana. In Ghana, where about 14,000 babies are born with SCD every year and the incidence of other genetic disorders keep rising, it is the goal of current genetic and genomic initiatives in the region to better understand these conditions and help drive preventive and precision medicine. This requires the contributions of genetic counsellors. Therefore, the new MSc. Program in Genetic Counselling holds vast opportunities for the first cohort and all prospective students on the program, despite the anticipated challenges. These include limited genetic testing facilities as well as resources for integrating genetic counsellors into the clinical and public health systems of Ghana and other countries in the sub-region.

Geochemical Signatures of Bara Basin Aquifers, Kordofan State, Sudan

Purpose: In this paper, geochemical investigation has been carried out to study the concentrations of major cations; Sodium (Na+), Potassium (K+), Magnesium (Mg2+), and Calcium (Ca2+), and major anions; Chloride (Cl-), Bicarbonate (HCO3-), Nitrate (NO3-) and Sulphate (SO42-), other parameters such as (pH), Electric conductivity and T.D.S were also studied in all water samples taken from wells in Bara basin.
 Methodology: Forty five (45) water samples have been collected from wells. Lab works were done at Groundwater and Wadis Directorate (GWD), Khartoum State according to Sudanese Standards and Metrology Organization, (2002), to study the major cations and major anions.
 Findings: The results revealed that the average value of pH was (7.9) E.C values were (843.4 μS/cm) and T.D.S values were (59 mg/l). The average concentrations of the major cations obtained were; Na+ (126.3), K+ (5.22), Mg2+ (28.30), Ca2+(66.41) and the major anions (mg/l) were; Cl- (159.00), HCO3- (165.30), NO3- (156.70) and SO42- (164.70). The (Na/Cl) ratio is (2.47) is also high which reflects the abundance of (Na+) ions relative to the Chloride (Cl-) ions which confirmed the light-salty nature of groundwater. Geochemical mass balance calculations indicate that upper aquifer is mainly affected by the dissolution and dolomitization processes of major anions.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: This process is highly developed in the central west part of the basin due to the abundance of Sulphate (SO42-), Bicarbonate (HCO3-), Magnesium (Mg2+), and Calcium (Ca2+) ions. High values of E.C, T.D.S, Ca2+, and SO42- are mainly presents as a saline water resource in some villages. Two types of water are classified here these are : i). Na-HCO3 type and ii). Ca- Cl -SO4 type. The study concluded that water samples from Almakser, Hamdan-2, Um-Zeeraga-2, and Al-Zareeba-2 villages have very high concentrations of E.C, T.D.S Ca2-, Cl-, NO3- and SO42-, which may suggest that water samples are not fit for human consumption, according to guidelins by W.H.O (1984). This paper recommends further study on water quality.

¬Relationship of ACTN3-Promoter gene polymorphism and Alpha actin-3 concentration with performance of Original Arabian-WAHO horses

The research was conducted in the Iraqi Equestrian Club (15 km west of Baghdad city center) for the period from 10/1/2021 to 11/30/2022, with the aim of detecting polymorphism in the ACTN3 gene (promoter region) in original Arabian horses (WAHO). There were two variants (2 SNPs) in the Promoter region, which are rs1150531051 with polymorphism of TT, TC and CC, and the frequency of the two alleles T and C amounted to 0.34 and 0.66), and the variant rs1144978872 with polymorphism of GG, GA and AA, and the frequency of the two alleles G and A amounted to 0.68 and 0.32. It was observed that there is a positive and significant regression of the depth of respiration after the exercises on the concentration of alpha-actin 3, and the regression of the number of respiration times after the exercises on alpha-actin-3 and the ratio of alpha-actin-3 to the RNA level is positive and significant and reached 0.905 and 0.569, and there is a positive and significant regression (P≤0.05) for the speed of horses on the concentration of α-actin 3 (0.552 m/min) as well as on the ratio of α-actin 3 to RNA level (0.617 m/min) in purebred Arabian horses. We can conclude, through studying the genetic features in the ACTN3 gene, the promoter region, that it can be adopted in setting strategies for genetic improvement in horses. The rates of velocity and the number of body dimensions increased with the increase in the concentration of actin, and some values of the coefficient of determination (R2) were moderate

Amputation and advance care plans: An observational study exploring decision making and long-term outcomes in a vascular centre.

Half of those undergoing major lower limb amputation for peripheral arterial disease die within 1year. Advance care planning reduces days in hospital and increases the chance of dying in a preferred place. To investigate the prevalence and content of advance care planning for people having a lower limb amputation due to acute or chronic limb-threatening ischaemia or diabetes. Secondary aims were to explore its association with mortality, and length of hospital stay. A retrospective observational cohort study. The intervention was advance care planning. Patients admitted to the South West England Major Arterial Centre between 1 January 2019 and 1 January 2021 who received unilateral or bilateral below, above, or through knee amputation due to acute or chronic limb-threatening ischaemia or diabetes. 116 patients were included in the study. 20.7% (n = 24) died within 1year. 40.5% (n = 47) had an advance care planning discussion of which all included cardiopulmonary resuscitation decisions with few exploring other options. Patients who were more likely to have advance care planning discussions were ≥75years (aOR = 5.58, 95%CI 1.56-20.0), female (aOR = 3.24, 95%CI 1.21-8.69), and had multimorbidity (Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥5, aOR = 2.97, 95%CI 1.11-7.92). Discussions occurred more often in the emergency pathway and were predominantly initiated by physicians. Advance care planning was associated with increased mortality (aHR = 2.63, 95%CI 1.01, 5.02) and longer hospital stay (aHR = 0.52, 95%CI 0.32-0.83). Despite a high risk of death for all patients in the months following amputation, advance care planning occurred in fewer than half of people and mostly focused on resuscitation.

Senegalese Stagecraft: Decolonizing Theater-Making in Francophone Africa by Brian Valente-Quinn

Senegalese Stagecraft: Decolonizing Theater-Making in Francophone Africa by Brian Valente-Quinn

Western Lands, Western Voices: Essays on Public History in the American West ed. by Gregory E. Smoak

Reviewed by: Western Lands, Western Voices: Essays on Public History in the American West ed. by Gregory E. Smoak Emily Gowen Gregory E. Smoak, editor, Western Lands, Western Voices: Essays on Public History in the American West. Salt Lake City: U of Utah P, 2021. 232 pp. Hardcover, $70; paper, $35; e-book, $28. In the twelve essays that make up Gregory Smoak’s Western Lands, Western Voices: Essays on Public History in the American West, the University of Utah’s American West Center comes into view as the contested center of a fifty-year battle to define and expand the parameters of public history. In one sense the volume is a rich, polyvocal institutional history of the center, and a loving tribute to its founders’ vision. In another sense, though, the volume is an extended meditation on the most pressing questions that animate the field of public history. What sorts of tensions arise when historians, Richard White asks, enter the public sphere? How do we resist the popular urge to instrumentalize history, to make it speak the way we want it to? Or as Liesl Carr Childers puts it, what happens when history is “hostage” to politics? (27). And what would it look like to truly center Native voices in the way we tell stories about the American West? The volume offers several models of good public history: Michael Childers writes about Hal Rothman, the late historian and public intellectual who sought to “engage the public on its own terms” and “create the ears with which to hear us” (41). Leighton M. Quarles shares lessons from his own work as a historian for the National Park Service, a role in which nationalist mythmaking, tribal memory, environmental preservation, and the mandates of a tourism economy jostle for primacy. As many of the essays insist, a professional historian is uniquely positioned to understand and combat the settler colonial origins of land preservation projects that, in the popular imagination, are often billed as an unalloyed good. Yvette Towersap Tuell calls walking the line between serving Native history and public land management “working on the dark side” (101). But she insists that inhabiting such a vexed position is essential if we are to “better incorporate Native history and local knowledge into . . . policy decisions” (101). From the adjudication of tribal water rights to the interpretive decisions made on ghost tours, to the creation of new centers for [End Page 88] Native American and Indigenous studies programs, to the digitization of archives, the volume charts the American West Center’s sprawling and complex legacy, and showcases the hard, often frustrating, but richly rewarding work of “doing public history in the American West” (1; emphasis original). In its best moments the volume lives up to its own definitions of public history, offering a road map to young scholars interested in forging careers that span disciplines, audiences, and institutional constituencies. For those entering the profession today this volume may even feel like a life raft. Its vivid accounting of the wide range of purposes to which a historian’s credentials can be put offers a much more expansive vision of a fulfilling academic career than we often see in discussions of the academy today. To read Western Lands, Western Voices is to get an up-close look at what it’s like to wade into the messy, fascinating, unfinished work of public history in the American West, and perhaps even to be inspired to enter the public sphere oneself. [End Page 89] Emily Gowen The American Antiquarian Society Copyright © 2023 Western Literature Association

Thermal Profiles of Chainsaw Hollows and Natural Hollows during Extreme Heat Events.

Loss of hollow-bearing trees threatens many hollow-dependent wildlife. To mitigate this process, artificial chainsaw-carved hollows (CHs) are often created in dead trees, yet little is known about their thermal profiles. We measured temperatures inside 13 natural hollows (8 live and 5 dead trees) and 45 CHs (5 live and 40 dead trees) in the central west of NSW, Australia, over the course of 2 summers. Maximum temperatures and daily temperature ranges within natural hollows and artificial hollows were similar in 2017-2018. Hollow temperatures were lower in thicker-walled hollows than in thinner-walled hollows. During the January 2019 heatwave, temperatures inside CHs in dead trees exceeded 4-35 °C higher than the upper limit of the thermal neutral zone of sugar gliders-for 6.2 consecutive days (range 0-9 days). CHs in dead trees provided little buffering from thermal extremes; when air temperatures peaked at 44.6 °C, CHs in dead trees were on average 2.4 °C cooler than ambient (range: 5.5 °C cooler to 1.0 °C hotter than ambient). These results show that CHs created in dead trees may not provide suitable thermal conditions for hollow-dependent marsupials during summer heatwaves. Retention of large live trees, coupled with revegetation, is crucial for conserving hollow-dependent fauna in agricultural landscapes.