West New Research Articles

Hands Across Australia’s Land Border

Drawing on Indonesian and Dutch newspapers, this article describes how the Australian people and their political leaders were presented in contradictory ways to readers during the West New Guinea dispute. Particularly from 1949 to 1967, at the height of the dispute between the Netherlands and Indonesia over West New Guinea/Irian Barat, Dutch newspapers focused on the nature of Australian colonialism in an increasingly critical manner. The Indonesian press expected Australia – a supporter of its independence struggle and donor of education aid – to sympathise with its claim to the territory of Irian Barat. Sensitive to any signs that Australia sided with the Dutch or that it feared Indonesian ambitions in the region, the Indonesian press was at first displeased by Australia’s policy of ‘neutrality’ and then satisfied that the Australian government would not interfere.

A recent date for the dog (Canis familiaris) from Mapala Rockshelter and implications for associated mammal community changes in subalpine Highland West New Guinea

The arrival of the dog (Canis familiaris) in Australasia is believed to have had major impacts on the region’s ecosystems as well as human society and organisation. Very little is known about the antiquity of the dog in New Guinea due to a paucity of fossil specimens of secure antiquity, particularly in the Highlands. Here, we report the direct dating of a partial dog cranium from Mapala Rockshelter, a subalpine site at ∼4000 m asl in the Sudirman Range. Recovered in 1972 from a bone-rich layer in the cave floor above a basal charcoal date of about 5500 BP, this individual has been considered a possible early example of dog in Australasia. An Accelerator Mass Spectrometry date from maxillary bone shows that the Mapala dog is far more recent (491 ± 19 BP, or 536–501 cal BP). Our finding is of relevance to understanding the antiquity of dog in the Highlands of New Guinea, and also for the wild dog populations which exist across this large area. The date is also the first for the site’s mammal-rich fossiliferous sedimentary unit, providing a chronological context for Late Holocene turnover in the composition of the local fauna. The most notable of these changes include the regional extinction of two Thylogale spp. and the invasion of Pseudochirops cupreus into subalpine western New Guinea environments.

Popular Support: The Only Basis of Legitimacy for West Africa's New Military Regimes?

Popular Support: The Only Basis of Legitimacy for West Africa's New Military Regimes?

Geographic and racial disparities in bi-specific antibodies trials access for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

1525 Background: The trials of bispecific antibodies to treat diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) have increased exponentially. However, there is a geographic limitation to offering these trials and universal access appears to be limited. Here, we investigate the geographical and racial disparities in accessing bispecific antibodies trials for DLBCL. Methods: We searched ClinicalTrials.gov using the terms for DLBCL and bispecific antibodies. A total of 13 out of 51 clinical trials with one or more open sites in the United States (US) were included in this systematic review. 2020 US Census Bureau data was used to obtain data on race and ethnicity. Analysis for this study was performed using SPSS version 26. Results: The majority of the included trials were Phase I (62%) followed by Phase II (23%), and Phase I/II (15%). A total of 885 participants were either enrolled or expected to enroll in these clinical trials. Nine (69%) clinical trials were only open in the US while 4 (31%) clinical trials were open in the US and other countries. The majority of the trials were funded by the pharmaceutical industry 62%. There were 50 unique study sites distributed over 24 states with a 2.4 (1-10) mean number of trials per state and 9.9 (1-39) mean number of sites per trial. Study sites were distributed in 24 different states. Midwestern states had the highest number of trials 28%, followed by Southern 26%, Northeastern 24%, and Western 22%. The highest number of study locations (10) and the highest number of open studies (10) were in California. Twenty-seven states had no open bispecific antibodies trials including three in the Northeast (Maine, Rhode Island, and Vermont), five in the Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, North and South Dakota), eight in the South (Delaware, Virginia, District of Columbia, West Virginia, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma), and eleven in the West (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Montana, Nevada, Wyoming, Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington). Using US Census Bureau data, only 20% of African Americans (AA) (8 349 699 of 41 104 200) lived in a county with a bispecific antibodies trial. There were only five states (21%) with 50% or more of the AA population living in a county with an open bispecific antibodies trial and seven states (29%) with 30-49.9% of their AA county residents. Five states (21%) had less than 10% of the AA population living in a county with an open bispecific antibodies trial. Nine (90%) out of ten states with the highest proportion of AA residents (18.6%-41.4%) have no (five states) or only one clinical trial site (four states). Conclusions: There is significant geographic and racial disparity in accessing bispecific antibodies trials for DLBCL. Strategies should be framed to address the causes of the observed disparities and to improve access to these trials.

Excess Fatal Overdoses in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic by Geography and Substance Type: March 2020-August 2021.

Objectives. To assess heterogeneity in pandemic-period excess fatal overdoses in the United States, by location (state, county) and substance type. Methods. We used seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) models to estimate counterfactual death counts in the scenario that no pandemic had occurred. Such estimates were subtracted from actual death counts to assess the magnitude of pandemic-period excess mortality between March 2020 and August 2021. Results. Nationwide, we estimated 25 668 (95% prediction interval [PI] = 2811, 48 524) excess overdose deaths. Specifically, 17 of 47 states and 197 of 592 counties analyzed had statistically significant excess overdose-related mortality. West Virginia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, and New Mexico had the highest rates (20-37 per 100 000). Nationally, there were 5.7 (95% PI = 1.0, 10.4), 3.1 (95% PI = 2.1, 4.2), and 1.4 (95% PI = 0.5, 2.4) excess deaths per 100 000 involving synthetic opioids, psychostimulants, and alcohol, respectively. Conclusions. The steep increase in overdose-related mortality affected primarily the southern and western United States. We identified synthetic opioids and psychostimulants as the main contributors. Public Health Implications. Characterizing overdose-related excess mortality across locations and substance types is critical for optimal allocation of public health resources. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(6):599-609. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307618).

The proof is in the poo-ding: Benefits of the longitudinal molecular surveillance of drug resistance demonstrated in a New South Wales cattle herd

Our understanding of anthelmintic resistance in the gastrointestinal nematodes of Australian cattle relies exclusively on small-scale phenotypic reports utilising traditional faecal egg count reduction tests. This approach is not readily scalable to establish the national prevalence of resistance, nor is it conducive of routine longitudinal surveillance for the emergence of resistance in its early stages. This study introduces the benefits of applying mixed amplicon metabarcoding longitudinally for timely and cost-efficient molecular surveillance of multiple anthelmintic resistance mutations, as they emerge on farms. Using opportunistically collected faecal samples from a cattle herd in central west New South Wales (2019–2023), we detected the early emergence of Haemonchus spp. levamisole-resistant S168T shortly after levamisole introduction, while benzimidazole-resistant allele frequencies remained constant. Additionally, we observed the possible spill-over of resistant Haemonchus contortus from sheep, along with variations in faecal burdens and species diversity influenced by climate stochasticity and host immunity. This study emphasises the power of molecular diagnostics for farm-level anthelmintic resistance management, providing essential evidence to support its integration into routine surveillance programmes.

Developing Stakeholder Dynamic Assessment for developing wild animals conservation: an evidence from West New Guinea

Developing Stakeholder Dynamic Assessment for developing wild animals conservation: an evidence from West New Guinea

Potential Provinces in Papua New Guinea for Rice Farming

Papua New Guinea has plenty of land with suitable agro-climatic conditions for rice farming, but despite this, the country still needs to import rice to meet the demands of its rapidly growing population and urbanization. To address this issue, a research project was undertaken to create a realistic scope and map of areas within each province of Papua New Guinea that are suitable for rice production, using Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. The study included nineteen regions of Papua New Guinea. A digital surface model was used to determine the suitability of each area for large-scale rice farming, based on climate, soil factors, and topography. The Erdas Imagine v-11 model builder was used to create a critical model for the suitability of rice mapping. Each province was classified into five classes based on the suitability of the land for rice farming. The results showed that approximately 14% of the land in Papua New Guinea is exceptionally suitable for rice farming. Eight provinces (Central, East Sepik, East New Britain, Morobe, Madang, Milne Bay, West New Britain, and Western Province) were identified as having large-scale land suitable for rice production and were evaluated accordingly.

Lateral Completions a Boon for Haynesville Extension

There is an old adage in the oil patch: The best place to find oil … is in an oil field. The same holds for natural gas. The Deep Bossier gas play of east Texas spawned some impressive field discoveries in the early to mid-2000s, such as the Amoruso and Savell fields in Robertson County, Texas. Another big find, Hilltop, lies just to the east in Leon County. Wells tap into the Deep Bossier at depths between 15,000 and 20,000 ft. They intersect overpressured shale and sandstone formations a few thousand feet thick. These conventional, vertical wells were challenging to drill, but often the payoff merited the difficulty and the associated cost as many would come online producing 20 MMcf/D or more of natural gas once completed. A few even bested 50 MMcf/D. The Haynesville Shale of east Texas and western Louisiana has been a gas tank for operators like Shell, BP, Chevron, Chesapeake, and others since it came into prominence around 2008. Even though some of these players have exited, it reached new highs in March 2023, averaging 14.5 Bcf/D, 10% more than the 2022 annual average of 13.1 Bcf/D, according to data from Enverus. Haynesville natural gas production currently accounts for about 14% of all US dry natural gas production. It is the third-largest shale gas-producing play in the US, behind the Marcellus play in the Appalachian Basin and the Permian play in west Texas and New Mexico. The linchpin of both plays is their robust natural gas potential. In 2017, the US Geological Survey (USGS) estimated the Bossier Formation contained 2.9 billion bbl of oil, 108.6 Tcf of natural gas, and 1 billion bbl of natural gas liquids (NGLs), while the Haynesville Formation was estimated to contain a mean of 1.1 billion bbl of oil, 195.8 Tcf of natural gas, and 0.9 billion bbl of NGLs. In a report from 2010, the USGS predicted the Bossier held a mean of just 9.0 Tcf of natural gas, while the Haynesville was estimated to contain 61.4 Tcf of natural gas. There has been some confusion regarding the Haynesville and Bossier shales over the years due to the different geological naming conventions in Louisiana and Texas. According to the Texas Railroad Commission, it is generally recognized that the shale interval in east Texas is the Lower Bossier that correlates with the Haynesville of Louisiana. The Upper Bossier Formation is distinguished from the Lower Bossier Formation by its location, to the southwest, and the fact that it is more sand-rich.

Geographic and Racial Disparities in Chimeric Antigen Receptor-T Cells and Bispecific Antibodies Trials Access for Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Introduction: The number of clinical trials of chimeric antigen receptor T- cell (CAR-T) therapy and bispecific antibodies to treat diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has increased exponentially. However, there is geographic limitation to offering these trial and universal access appears to be limited especially for minorities and those in low socioeconomic stratum. Here, we investigate the geographical and racial disparities in accessing CAR-T cell therapy and bispecific antibodies trials for DLBCL. Methods: Data on clinical trials were obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, the largest clinical trials registry database that provides data on clinical trials that are completed or in process. We searched ClinicalTrials.gov in May 2023 using the terms diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, DLBCL, CAR-T, chimeric antigen receptor T cells, chimeric, bispecific antibodies, bispecific, BCMA, and T-cell engager. All available trials listed as completed, recruiting, active-nonrecruiting, terminated, or suspended. The collected data abstracted from ClinicalTrials.gov included study titles, National Clinical Trial identification numbers, trial phase and intervention, actual or expected number of participants (in studies that did not complete enrollment), primary outcomes, recruiting sites, funders, and specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. 2020 United States (US) Census Bureau data was used to obtain data on race and ethnicity. Analysis for this study was performed using SPSS version 26. Results: A total of 76 out of 133 clinical trials with one or more open site in the US were included for this systematic review. There were 63 (82.9%) CAR-T therapy and 13 (17.1%) bispecific antibodies trials. A total of 166823 participants were either enrolled or expected to enroll in these clinical trials including 165938 (99.5%) of CAR-T and 885 (0.5%) bispecific antibodies clinical trials participants. Sixty-five (85.5%) clinical trials were only open in the US while 11 (14.5%) clinical trials were open in the US and other countries. The majority of the trials 49 (64.5%) were funded by the industry, while 27 (35.5%) were non-industry sponsored. The primary outcomes of the studies were safety related, efficacy related, and both safety and efficacy related in 43 (56.6%), 22 (28.9%), and 11 (14.5%) trials, respectively. One hundred and twenty-six unique study sites for the 76 analyzed clinical trials were identified. The mean number of sites per trial were 4.5 (1-26) for CAR-T trials and 4.4 (1-24) for bispecific antibodies. The study sites were distributed in 31 different states and mean number of trial per state were 11 (0-51). Most sites for trials were in Southern states 39 (31%), followed by Midwestern 32 (25.4%), Northeastern 30 (23.8%), and Western states 25 (19.8%). The highest number of study locations were in California (13), New York (9), and Pennsylvania (9) while the highest number of open studies were in California (51), Texas (32), and New York (23). Twenty states had no open CAR-T or bispecific antibodies clinical trials including three in the Northeast (Maine, Rhode Island, and Vermont), three in the Midwest (Indiana, North and South Dakota), seven in the South (Delaware, District of Columbia, West Virginia, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma), and seven in the West (Idaho, New Mexico, Montana, Nevada, Wyoming, Alaska, and Hawaii). (Figure 1A) Using Census Bureau data, only 33.3% of the African American (AA) (13 669 915 of 41 104 200) lived in a county with a CAR-T or bispecific antibodies trial. There were only six states (12%) with 50% or more of the AA population living in a county with an open CAR-T or bispecific antibody trial and 15 states (29%) with 30% or more of their AA county residents. Seven out of ten states with the highest proportion of AA residents (18.6%-41.4%) have no (four states) or less than four clinical trial sites (three states) for either CAR-T or bispecific antibodies. (Figure 1B) Conclusion: There is significant geographic and racial disparity in accessing CAR-T cell therapy and bispecific antibodies trials for DLBCL. Strategies should be framed to address the causes for the observed disparities and to improve access.

The grammaticalization and dissolution of High Extended Intonation: an inalienable possession paradigm in Roon

Abstract This paper is concerned with the documentation, typology and diachrony of a single inflectional paradigm expressing inalienable attributive possession in Roon, a language of the South Halmahera West New Guinea subgroup of Austronesian. The paradigm in question exhibits a substantial amount of variation both within and across speakers. Formally, the paradigm is exceptional in that, in some of its variants, it makes use of an H toneme, the only attested usage of tonality in the entire language. Functionally, the paradigm is remarkable in that, in some of its variants, the possessor is distinguished not for person but rather for distal deixis. Historically, the H toneme forming part of the paradigm is argued to derive from the grammaticalization of a High Extended Intonation contour expressing excessivity along a scalar dimension, characteristic of many languages of New Guinea and Australia. In some languages of North West New Guinea, this intonation contour anchors to certain particles, resulting in ideophones such as the Papuan Malay eeeH. One such ideophone, it is suggested, was subsequently incorporated into the expression of inalienable attributive possession in Roon. The proposed analysis thus provides a case study of how intonation may develop into tone, and, more generally, how gesture may be incorporated into grammar.

Spatial justice, mobile futures and First Nations telecommunications landscapes in regional and rural Australia

In an Australian regional and rural context, inequalities in the location of telecommunications infrastructure and uneven development pose urgent spatial justice questions for policy and planning. These spatial injustices are reinforced by the imaginaries and ideologies of telecommunications development and which populations and locations can benefit from the growth gains attributed to enhanced telecommunications infrastructures. First Nations contributions to telecommunications planning and development are marginalised within the imagined futures and current experiences of internet and mobile coverage in regional and rural towns. Drawing on data from a project focused on regional and rural consumer understandings of smart technologies in North West New South Wales, Australia, we suggest that in order to more substantively position First Nations as growth contributors to telecommunications futures, a re-orientation of place, connectivity, and mobility in planning and engagement is necessary.

The Undeclared, Declassified: West New Guinea and the 1969 Act of Free Choice

This article deals with the ‘Act of Free Choice’ (AFC/Pepera) whereby Indonesia officially took control of West New Guinea under the auspices of the United Nations (UN). The event itself took place in 1969 as preordained in the terms of the New York Agreement of August 1962 drawn up by US diplomat, Ellsworth Bunker. In both the 1962 Agreement and the 1969 AFC, Adam Malik was the principal Indonesian participant; and in both, according to his 1969 Report, the role of the UN was really no more than a bystander. Yet it was the authority of the UN which ultimately provided approval of Indonesian sovereignty as the outcome of the AFC. How this came about is evident from a close inspection of US declassified telegrams from 1966-1999. Two principal questions arise: the first pertains to the motivation of the various US diplomats involved, such as Bunker, Marshall Green (US Ambassador to Indonesia 1965-69) and Henry Kissinger, who were linked to Rockefeller mining interests focused on gaining access to the world’s largest gold mine in West New Guinea; and the second pertains to the rights of the Papuan people as the inhabitants of the territory in question. In the written words and opinions of the persons who were actually involved in the preparation and execution of the AFC/Pepera, there is often no compunction in disregarding UN principles, and yet there is a willingness, when it suits, to utilize UN authority as the arbiter of international justice.

Separate Paths: Lenapes and Colonists in West New Jersey

Jameson R. Sweet reviewing Separate Paths: Lenapes and Colonists in West New Jersey, by Jean R. Soderlund.

Testing the Efficacy of a Scalable Telephone-Delivered Guided Imagery Tobacco Cessation Treatment: Protocol for a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Tobacco use continues to be a leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States, accounting for >480,000 deaths each year. Although treatments for tobacco use are effective for many, there is substantial variability in outcomes, and these approaches are not effective for all individuals seeking to quit smoking cigarettes. New, effective therapeutic approaches are needed to meet the preferences of people who want to stop smoking. Guided imagery (GI) is a mind-body technique that involves the guided visualization of specific mental images, which is enhanced with other sensory modalities and emotions. Preliminary evidence provides initial support for the use of GI as a treatment for cigarette smoking. Meta-analyses have shown that standard treatment for cigarette smoking delivered over the telephone via quitlines is effective. A telephone-based intervention that uses GI might provide another effective treatment option and increase the reach and effectiveness of quitlines. This study aims to test the efficacy of Be Smoke Free, a telephone-delivered GI treatment for smoking cessation. This multisite randomized clinical trial (RCT) will compare a novel telephone-delivered GI tobacco cessation treatment with a standard evidence-based behavioral treatment. The study will be conducted over 5 years. In phase 1, we refined protocols and procedures for the New York State and West Virginia sites for use in the RCT. During phase 2, we will conduct an RCT with 1200 participants: 600 (50%) recruited via quitlines and 600 (50%) recruited via population-based methods. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the GI condition or the behavioral condition; both treatments will be delivered by trained study coaches located at the University of Arizona. Assessments will be conducted at baseline and 3 and 6 months after enrollment by University of Arizona research staff. The primary outcome will be self-reported 30-day point prevalence abstinence 6 months after enrollment. Secondary outcomes include biochemically verified 7-day point prevalence abstinence 6 months after enrollment. Recruitment in West Virginia and New York began in October 2022. As of March 31, 2023, a total of 242 participants had been enrolled. Follow-up assessments began in November 2022. As of March 31, 2023, of the 118 eligible participants, 97 (82.2%) had completed the 3-month assessment, and 93% (26/28) of eligible participants had completed the 6-month assessment. Biochemical verification and qualitative interviews began in April 2023. Recruitment will continue through 2025 and follow-up assessments through 2026. Primary results are expected to be published in 2027. The Be Smoke Free study is a first-of-its-kind RCT that incorporates GI into telephone-based tobacco cessation treatment. If successful, Be Smoke Free will have substantial benefits for the long-term health of people who use tobacco across the United States. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05277831; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05277831. PRR1-10.2196/48898.

Discursive Representation of Victims of Mosque Attacks in Egypt and New Zealand

This study examined the discursive representation of victims of two terrorist attacks that occurred in Egypt and New Zealand. The data include all news reports released by the online version of The Guardian and The Washington Post on the attacks. To this end, we employ Martin and White's (2005) Appraisal Theory, van Leeuwen's (2008) Socio-semantic Inventory and Entman’s (1993) Framing Theory. This article filled a gap in literature as it is the first – to the best of our knowledge - to address Muslim victims of terrorist attacks in two countries, one Muslim, and one Christian. Discussion reinforced the belief that there is disparity in journalistic treatment in favour of victims in a country culturally and linguistically belonging to the west (New Zealand). All the 10 frames devised for this study, side by side with the appraisal resources deployed, reveal a marked difference between the ‘high-profile’ representation of Christchurch social actors and the ‘low-profile’ depiction of the Sinai social actors. All the socio-semantic categorisations of victims also prove such discursive disproportion.

Implementation of deep learning artificial intelligence in vision-threatening disease screenings for an underserved community during COVID-19

Introduction Age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma are vision-threatening diseases that are leading causes of vision loss. Many studies have validated deep learning artificial intelligence for image-based diagnosis of vision-threatening diseases. Our study prospectively investigated deep learning artificial intelligence applications in student-run non-mydriatic screenings for an underserved, primarily Hispanic community during COVID-19. Methods Five supervised student-run community screenings were held in West New York, New Jersey. Participants underwent non-mydriatic 45-degree retinal imaging by medical students. Images were uploaded to a cloud-based deep learning artificial intelligence for vision-threatening disease referral. An on-site tele-ophthalmology grader and remote clinical ophthalmologist graded images, with adjudication by a senior ophthalmologist to establish the gold standard diagnosis, which was used to assess the performance of deep learning artificial intelligence. Results A total of 385 eyes from 195 screening participants were included (mean age 52.43 ± 14.5 years, 40.0% female). A total of 48 participants were referred for at least one vision-threatening disease. Deep learning artificial intelligence marked 150/385 (38.9%) eyes as ungradable, compared to 10/385 (2.6%) ungradable as per the human gold standard (p < 0.001). Deep learning artificial intelligence had 63.2% sensitivity, 94.5% specificity, 32.0% positive predictive value, and 98.4% negative predictive value in vision-threatening disease referrals. Deep learning artificial intelligence successfully referred all 4 eyes with multiple vision-threatening diseases. Deep learning artificial intelligence graded images (35.6 ± 13.3 s) faster than the tele-ophthalmology grader (129 ± 41.0) and clinical ophthalmologist (68 ± 21.9, p < 0.001). Discussion Deep learning artificial intelligence can increase the efficiency and accessibility of vision-threatening disease screenings, particularly in underserved communities. Deep learning artificial intelligence should be adaptable to different environments. Consideration should be given to how deep learning artificial intelligence can best be utilized in a real-world application, whether in computer-aided or autonomous diagnosis.

Groundwater quality assessment along the West of New Damietta Coastal City of Egypt using an integrated geophysical and hydrochemical approaches

Recently, the groundwater became very important source for the Egyptian water balance. Therefore, assessing its quality and quantity is necessary before initiating any developmental plans using this resource. In this research, a new operated power plant, which is located in the coastal area of West New Damietta City, north-east of Egypt was designed to work using the coastal groundwater aquifer. Therefore, an integrated approaches of both geophysical methods and hydrochemical analysis were applied to identify the subsurface lithology, the water-bearing layers and determine the potential use of such coastal groundwater. Therefore, a total of seventeen vertical electrical soundings (VES) and five time-domain electromagnetic soundings (TEM) were performed. Moreover, groundwater samples were collected from seven existing wells to be analyzed for water quality assessment. The geophysical results identified five geoelectric layers. The first geoelectric layer has a resistivity of 1–7.9 Ω m and a thickness range of 7–9 m. The second layer has a resistivity of 0.9–4.4 Ω m and a thickness range of 7–8 m. The third layer is 10–21 m thick with a resistivity value of 0.5–2 Ω m. The fourth layer, which is thicker (29 to 42 m), has a resistivity of 0.7–3 Ω m, while the last layer has a resistivity of 1.7–9 Ω m. According to the hydrochemical analysis, the aquifer is dominated by Na–Cl water type. The brackish nature of the water is revealed by the TDS range of 7035 mg/l to 7735 mg/l. The results collected demonstrate the groundwater's quantity and quality availability for the power plant’s sustainable use.

Macroinvertebrate Community Composition in Wetlands of the Desert Southwest is Driven by wastewater-associated Nutrient Loading Despite Differences in Salinity.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13157-022-01647-2.

Stratification of malaria incidence in Papua New Guinea (2011-2019): Contribution towards a sub-national control policy.

Malaria risk in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is highly heterogeneous, between and within geographical regions, which is operationally challenging for control. To enhance targeting of malaria interventions in PNG, we investigated risk factors and stratified malaria incidence at the level of health facility catchment areas. Catchment areas and populations of 808 health facilities were delineated using a travel-time accessibility approach and linked to reported malaria cases (2011-2019). Zonal statistics tools were used to calculate average altitude and air temperature in catchment areas before they were spatially joined with incidence rates. In addition, empirical Bayesian kriging (EBK) was employed to interpolate incidence risk strata across PNG. Malaria annual incidence rates are, on average, 186.3 per 1000 population in catchment areas up to 600 m, dropped to 98.8 at (800-1400) m, and to 24.1 cases above 1400 m altitude. In areas above the two altitudinal thresholds 600m and 1400m, the average annual temperature drops below 22°C and 17°C, respectively. EBK models show very low- to low-risk strata (<100 cases per 1000) in the Highlands, National Capital District and Bougainville. In contrast, patches of high-risk (>200 per 1000) strata are modelled mainly in Momase and Islands Regions. Besides, strata with moderate risk (100-200) predominate throughout the coastal areas. While 35.7% of the PNG population (estimated 3.33 million in 2019) lives in places at high or moderate risk of malaria, 52.2% (estimated 4.88 million) resides in very low-risk areas. In five provinces, relatively large proportions of populations (> 50%) inhabit high-risk areas: New Ireland, East and West New Britain, Sandaun and Milne Bay. Incidence maps show a contrast in malaria risk between coastal and inland areas influenced by altitude. However, the risk is highly variable in low-lying areas. Malaria interventions should be guided by sub-national risk levels in PNG.