Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wei Qian, David Harley, Kathryn Glass, Elvina Viennet, Cameron Hurst
Summary: This study aimed to predict the incidence of Ross River virus (RRV) in different regions of Queensland, Australia, by comparing ten models using RRV notification data and exposure data. The study found that negative binomial models generally performed better than Poisson models, and adding new variables such as historical RRV cases and mosquito abundance may improve model performance.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Wei Qian, Cameron Hurst, Kathryn Glass, David Harley, Elvina Viennet
Summary: This study analyzed the spatial and temporal patterns of Ross River virus disease in Queensland, Australia over the past two decades. It found that the number of notifications and incidence rates were generally higher in northern Queensland compared to southern Queensland, with higher incidence rates in east coastal areas and western Queensland. The peak period for RRV notifications was observed to be from March to May, with an average annual incidence rate of 5 per 10,000 people.
TROPICAL MEDICINE AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Wei Qian, Elvina Viennet, Kathryn Glass, David Harley, Cameron Hurst
Summary: This study predicts the incidence rates of Ross River virus (RRV) in three cities in Queensland, Australia, using mosquito abundance data and other variables. The results demonstrate the value of mosquito data in predicting RRV incidence, with excellent predictive results in Brisbane and Redlands.
Article
Microbiology
Wern Hann Ng, Zheng L. Ling, Andrew J. Kueh, Marco J. Herold, Nicholas P. West, Nicholas J. C. King, Suresh Mahalingam, Xiang Liu
Summary: MXRA8 acts as an entry receptor for arthritogenic alphaviruses and its role in alphavirus-induced musculoskeletal inflammation is not fully understood. In this study, MXRA8 knockout mice showed reduced disease signs, viral replication, proinflammatory cytokines, and cell infiltrates in inflamed tissues after RRV infection. Furthermore, novel changes in immunomodulation genes were observed in RRV-infected MXRA8 knockout mice compared to wild-type mice.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hannah Gora, Simon Smith, Ian Wilson, Annie Preston-Thomas, Nicole Ramsamy, Josh Hanson
Summary: The epidemiology of central nervous system infections in tropical Australia varies, with viral infections being more common and arboviral infections being rare. Infants and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians have a higher prevalence of CNS infections.
Article
Parasitology
Ellen M. de Vries, Noel O. I. Cogan, Aneta J. Gubala, Brendan C. Rodoni, Stacey E. Lynch
Summary: A novel bioinformatic and wet laboratory methods were developed for fast detection and characterization of Ross River virus (RRV) isolates. The study showed that real-time genotyping and determination of whole trap consensus of the viruses could be achieved in a timely manner. Minor variants from the variable E2/E3 region of RRV were successfully detected, allowing the determination of haplotypes within complex mosquito homogenate samples.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2023)
Article
Urology & Nephrology
Wendy E. Hoy, Zaimin Wang, Jianzhen Zhang, Vishal Diwan, Anne Cameron, Sree K. Venuthurupalli, Robert G. Fassett, Samuel Chan, Helen G. Healy, Ken-Soon Tan, Richard Baer, Andrew J. Mallett, Nicholas Gray, Murty Mantha, Roy Cherian, Clyson Mutatiri, Krishan Madhan, George Kan, Geoffrey Mitchell, Shahadat Hossain, Danielle Wu, Thin Han, Adrian Kark, Thomas Titus, Dwarakanatan Ranganathan, Ann Bonner, Sridevi Govindarajulu
Summary: This study describes the characteristics of adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in nine renal practice sites in Queensland, Australia. The findings show that the spectrum of CKD patients is much broader than those who ultimately start kidney replacement therapy (KRT). The study highlights the importance of exploring variations in CKD by causes, age, site, and Indigenous status, as well as the prevalence of obesity and the differences between patients who receive KRT and those who die without KRT.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Julia Meadows, Celia McMichael, Patricia T. T. Campbell
Summary: Ross River virus (RRV) is the most common mosquito-borne infection in Australia, causing joint pain and lethargy. The lack of effective treatment or vaccine adds to the burden of RRV disease on individuals, healthcare system, and economy. Using a negative binomial regression model, we found that readily available climate data can be used to predict RRV outbreaks.
EPIDEMIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Mohd Sakib, Tamanna Siddiqui
Summary: We propose a data-driven ensemble deep learning model using multi-networks of LSTM neural network for RRV disease forecasting in Australia, which achieves higher accuracy and has a smaller mean-square error compared to traditional methods such as ARIMA and exponential smoothing. This model can provide insights into being well prepared and handling the situation of outbreak.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PATTERN RECOGNITION AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Roger H. Tang, Peter D. Erskine, Philip Nti Nkrumah, Guillaume Echevarria, Antony van der Ent
Summary: Metallophytes are plants that can tolerate extreme metal concentrations in soil. A study on the Dugald River gossan in Australia found that there was no direct relationship between the occurrence of metallophytes and prevailing soil metal concentrations. Crotalaria novae-hollandiae was identified as a strong polymetallic indicator-type metallophyte that can accumulate high concentrations of metals in its leaves.
Article
Immunology
Christin Schmidt, Florian D. Hastert, Julia Gerbeth, Tim Beissert, Ugur Sahin, Mario Perkovic, Barbara S. Schnierle
Summary: The study demonstrated that a CHIKV vaccine candidate based on trans-amplifying RNA can induce CHIKV- and RRV-specific immune responses in mice. However, higher antibody titers and neutralization capacity were observed after immunization with a single TR-RNA. There was no significant difference in alphavirus-specific T cell responses between bivalent and single vaccinations.
Article
Virology
Ka Y. Yuen, Joerg Henning, Melodie D. Eng, Althea S. W. Wang, Martin F. Lenz, Karen M. Caldwell, Mitchell P. Coyle, Helle Bielefeldt-Ohmann
Summary: The seroprevalence of common mosquito-borne virus infections in horses in Australia, as well as the impact of climate change on the epidemiology of these diseases, was investigated in this study. It was found that Ross River virus is the most common arbovirus infection in horses, followed by Barmah Forest virus. The potential use of horses as sentinels for arbovirus monitoring and the cross-reactivity of antibodies between different viruses should be further studied.
Article
Microbiology
Xiang Liu, Adam Taylor, Yee Suan Poo, Wern Hann Ng, Lara J. Herrero, Patrick Chun Hean Tang, Ali Zaid, Suresh Mahalingam
Summary: This study investigates the role of TIR-domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon-beta (TRIF) in the development of Ross River virus (RRV) disease. The findings suggest that TRIF plays a critical role in the immune response to RRV infection, with TRIF-deficient mice showing increased susceptibility to severe disease and high viremia. The study also reveals that TRIF affects the activation of T cells, NK cells, and B cells, as well as the production of IgG antibodies. The slower resolution of RRV disease in TRIF-deficient mice is associated with the persistence of the virus and a continuing IFN response in muscle tissue.
Article
Microbiology
Xiang Liu, Adam Taylor, Yee Suan Poo, Wern Hann Ng, Lara J. Herrero, Patrick Chun Hean Tang, Ali Zaid, Suresh Mahalingam
Summary: The study elucidated the role of TRIF in RRV disease development, showing that TRIF-/- mice were highly susceptible to RRV infection with prolonged disease course possibly due to the lack of early type I IFN response, affecting the numbers and activation levels of immune cells, leading to impaired antibody production in the infected mice.
Article
Virology
Kayvan Etebari, Pauline Lenancker, Kevin S. Powell, Michael J. Furlong
Summary: This study used RNA-Seq to explore the viromes of canegrubs in Australia and identified six novel RNA viruses, which showed similarity to known members from picornaviruses, benyviruses, sobemoviruses, totiviruses, and reoviruses.
Article
Emergency Medicine
Roberto Forero, Nicola Man, Shizar Nahidi, Gerard Fitzgerald, Daniel Fatovich, Mohammed Mohsin, Hanh Ngo, Ghasem (Sam) Toloo, Nick Gibson, Sally McCarthy, David Mountain, Ken Hillman
EMERGENCY MEDICINE AUSTRALASIA
(2020)
Article
Emergency Medicine
Ghasem (Sam) Toloo, Nimisha Bahl, David Lim, Gerry FitzGerald, Darren Wraith, Kevin Chu, Frances B. Kinnear, Peter Aitken, Douglas Morel
EMERGENCY MEDICINE AUSTRALASIA
(2020)
Article
Emergency Medicine
Nicola Wing Young Man, Roberto Forero, Hanh Ngo, David Mountain, Gerard FitzGerald, Ghasem (Sam) Toloo, Sally McCarthy, Mohammed Mohsin, Daniel M. Fatovich, Paul Bailey, Emma Bosley, Rosemary Carney, Harry Man Xiong Lai, Ken Hillman
EMERGENCY MEDICINE JOURNAL
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Edgar Santos-Fernandez, Kerrie Mengersen
Summary: The proposed method of item response can quantify a citizen scientist's ability, taking into account the difficulty of the task. The new approach outperforms traditional models in terms of RMSE, accuracy, and WAIC. The implementation in species identification in the Serengeti, Tanzania, provides reproducible codes and visualizations for a wide range of citizen science ecological problems.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Sport Sciences
Paul Pao-Yen Wu, Lawrence Garufi, Christopher Drovandi, Kerrie Mengersen, Lachlan J. G. Mitchell, Mark A. Osborne, David B. Pyne
Summary: The study developed a statistical model using Bayesian inference to predict winning time distributions and probabilities for international swimming events, with comparisons showing that the Olympic Games were on average 0.5% faster than World Championships. The Bayesian time series regression model achieved the smallest mean prediction error in out-of-sample predictions.
JOURNAL OF SPORTS SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Emergency Medicine
Ghasem (Sam) Toloo, David Lim, Kevin Chu, Frances B. Kinnear, Douglas G. Morel, Darren Wraith, Gerry FitzGerald
Summary: The demand for emergency department care is increasing faster than the population growth rate. Most participants believed that emergency departments are for emergent care and they attended the department because they perceived their conditions to be serious or urgent. The acceptability of face-to-face advice by triage nurses to seek help in general practice was influenced by perceived threats of the illness and underlying beliefs about the service's availability, accessibility, suitability, and affordability.
EMERGENCY MEDICINE AUSTRALASIA
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
David J. Warne, Kerryn A. Crossman, Wang Jin, Kerrie Mengersen, Kate Osborne, Matthew J. Simpson, Angus A. Thompson, Paul Wu, Juan-C Ortiz
Summary: The world's coral reefs are facing threats due to climate change causing increased frequency and severity of acute thermal stress, as well as chronic pressures like rising sea surface temperature, overfishing, and declining water quality. Monitoring coral recovery dynamics is crucial for effective reef management. Detailed mechanistic models offer insight into reef recovery patterns, but monitoring on a colony scale is impractical for large reefs like the Great Barrier Reef.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Emergency Medicine
Katie A. Willson, David Lim, Ghasem-Sam Toloo, Gerry Fitzgerald, Frances B. Kinnear, Douglas G. Morel
Summary: This study aimed to identify key factors influencing the current provision of acute care within primary healthcare (PHC) and explore the policy and system changes potentially required. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders, and five key considerations were highlighted, including barriers and enablers for general practitioners (GPs) in providing acute care and barriers to patient use of PHC instead of emergency departments (EDs). The study also identified potential policy changes, such as incorporating emergency appointments in GP clinics and linking hospitals with PHC clinics, as well as suggested system changes, such as improving rapid access to non-GP specialists and developing integrated information technology systems.
EMERGENCY MEDICINE AUSTRALASIA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Thien-Minh Le, Louis Raynal, Octavious Talbot, Hali Hambridge, Christopher Drovandi, Antonietta Mira, Kerrie Mengersen, Jukka-Pekka Onnela
Summary: The relative effectiveness of international travel policies during the COVID-19 pandemic has not been well studied. Researchers developed a flexible network meta-population model to compare the effectiveness of these policies and emphasized the importance of policy coordination. The study found that global coordination is necessary to maximize travel while minimizing the impact of viral spread.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gloria M. Monsalve-Bravo, Brodie A. J. Lawson, Christopher Drovandi, Kevin Burrage, Kevin S. Brown, Christopher M. Baker, Sarah A. Vollert, Kerrie Mengersen, Eve McDonald-Madden, Matthew P. Adams
Summary: This work introduces a comprehensive approach to assess the sensitivity of model outputs to changes in parameter values, constrained by the combination of prior beliefs and data. It identifies stiff parameter combinations affecting the model-data fit, and reveals which of these combinations are primarily influenced by the data or the priors. The technique is beneficial in contexts where data is limited compared to the number of model parameters, and has applications in biochemistry, ecology, and cardiac electrophysiology. It also helps uncover controlling mechanisms and guide parameter prioritization for improved parameter inference.
Article
Oncology
Paramita Dasgupta, Jessica K. Cameron, Susanna M. Cramb, Richard W. Trevithick, Joanne F. Aitken, Kerrie Mengersen, Peter D. Baade
Summary: Rare cancers in Australia exhibit spatial and geographical patterns with higher incidence and lower survival rates among males and individuals living in remote or disadvantaged areas. These rare cancers pose a significant health burden in Australia, particularly in rural and disadvantaged regions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Hongbo Xie, Kerrie Mengersen, Changan Di, Yongjian Zhang, Justin Lipman, Sabine Van Huffel
Summary: Nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) is a powerful tool for parameter estimation in robotics applications, particularly in extracting movement primitives from myoelectric signal (MES) for robust control of humanoid robots. However, MES is often affected by complex noise sources, and existing NMF methods simplify the noise distribution assumption and cannot automatically determine the rank of the latent matrices. To address these issues, this article presents a hybrid variational Bayesian Gaussian mixture and NMF (GMNMF) model with a finite Gaussian mixture model for fitting the mixed noise density function of MES, and applies an automatic relevant determination criterion to infer the number of movement primitives.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON HUMAN-MACHINE SYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Statistics & Probability
Edgar Santos-Fernandez, Julie Vercelloni, Aiden Price, Grace Heron, Bryce Christensen, Erin E. E. Peterson, Kerrie Mengersen
Summary: Crowdsourcing methods are used to produce scientific information by non-experts, which is becoming increasingly important in many fields. However, concerns about the validity of these data often limit their usefulness. This paper focuses on the use of citizen science data in addressing complex challenges in environmental conservation and proposes a Bayesian model to analyze and account for participants' abilities. The model improves the accuracy of the classification tasks and shows the potential of citizen science in answering challenging ecological questions.
INTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL REVIEW
(2023)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joshua J. J. Bon, Adam Bretherton, Katie Buchhorn, Susanna Cramb, Christopher Drovandi, Conor Hassan, Adrianne L. L. Jenner, Helen J. J. Mayfield, James M. M. McGree, Kerrie Mengersen, Aiden Price, Robert Salomone, Edgar Santos-Fernandez, Julie Vercelloni, Xiaoyu Wang
Summary: Bayesian approaches have become an essential part of statisticians and data scientists' toolkit, offering numerous benefits in areas such as intelligent data collection, new data sources, federated analysis, inference for implicit models, model transfer, and purposeful software products. This article is part of the theme issue "Bayesian inference: challenges, perspectives, and prospects".
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY A-MATHEMATICAL PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Paramita Dasgupta, Jessica K. Cameron, Belinda Goodwin, Susanna M. Cramb, Kerrie Mengersen, Joanne F. Aitken, Peter D. Baade
Summary: This study examines the geographical variation in participation rates in Australia's bowel cancer screening program between 2015 and 2020. The study finds that participation rates were consistently lower in remote or disadvantaged areas, with spatial heterogeneity within these categories. The findings highlight the importance of considering the unique characteristics of specific geographical regions and their inhabitants when designing interventions to improve screening uptake.
