ORCID Profile
0000-0002-0290-3065
Current Organisation
Deakin University
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Publisher: BMJ
Date: 25-08-2022
DOI: 10.1136/ARCHDISCHILD-2021-322507
Abstract: Following a relative absence in winter 2020, a large resurgence of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) detections occurred during the 2020/2021 summer in Western Australia. This seasonal shift was linked to SARS-CoV-2 public health measures. We examine the epidemiology and RSV testing of respiratory-coded admissions, and compare clinical phenotype of RSV-positive admissions between 2019 and 2020. At a single tertiary paediatric centre, International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition Australian Modification-coded respiratory admissions longer than 12 hours were combined with laboratory data from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2020. Data were grouped into bronchiolitis, other acute lower respiratory infection (OALRI) and wheeze, to assess RSV testing practices. For RSV-positive admissions, demographics and clinical features were compared between 2019 and 2020. RSV-positive admissions peaked in early summer 2020, following an absent winter season. Testing was higher in 2020: bronchiolitis, 94.8% vs 89.2% (p=0.01) OALRI, 88.6% vs 82.6% (p=0.02) and wheeze, 62.8% vs 25.5% (p .001). The 2020 peak month, December, contributed almost 75% of RSV-positive admissions, 2.5 times the 2019 peak. The median age in 2020 was twice that observed in 2019 (16.4 vs 8.1 months, p .001). The proportion of RSV-positive OALRI admissions was greater in 2020 (32.6% vs 24.9%, p=0.01). There were no clinically meaningful differences in length of stay or disease severity. The 2020 RSV season was in summer, with a larger than expected peak. There was an increase in RSV-positive non-bronchiolitis admissions, consistent with infection in older RSV-naïve children. This resurgence raises concern for regions experiencing longer and more stringent SARS-CoV-2 public health measures.
Publisher: College Publishing
Date: 06-2018
DOI: 10.3992/1943-4618.13.3.101
Abstract: This article aims to identify barriers to implementing waste management practices in construction projects and their interrelationship, based on the particular context of Australia. Interviews and a questionnaire survey were conducted as the primary data collection methods supported by the findings of a charrette. The findings reveal twenty critical barriers to implementing waste management practices in Australian construction projects. Four underlying factors that impede waste management practices are extracted based on results of an exploratory factor analysis. These include rigidity of construction practices, construction project characteristics, awareness, experience and commitment, and the nascent nature of waste management. The study also finds that while both human factors and technical factors act as barriers to implementing waste management practices in Australian construction projects, human factors are more dominant. Thus, it is essential to address all these barriers in the early stage of construction projects for reducing waste generation.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-04-2015
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.JGAR.2022.03.012
Abstract: The role Staphylococcus aureus antimicrobial resistance genes and toxins play in disease severity, management and outcome in childhood is an emerging field requiring further exploration. A prospective multisite study of Australian and New Zealand children hospitalised with S. aureus bacteraemia (SAB) occurred over 24 months (2017-2018). Whole genome sequencing (WGS) data were paired with clinical information from the ISAIAH cohort. 353 SAB isolates were sequenced 85% methicillin-susceptible S. aureus ([MSSA], 301/353) and 15% methicillin-resistant S. aureus ([MRSA], 52/353). There were 92 sequence types (STs), most commonly ST5 (18%) and ST30 (8%), grouped into 23 clonal complexes (CCs), most frequently CC5 (21%) and CC30 (12%). MSSA comprised the majority of healthcare-associated SAB (87%, 109/125), with principal clones CC15 (48%, 11/21) and CC8 (33%, 7/21). Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)-positive SAB occurred in 22% (76/353) predominantly MSSA (59%, 45/76), community-onset (92%, 70/76) infections. For community-onset SAB, the only microbiological independent predictor of poor outcomes was PVL positivity (aOR 2.6 [CI 1.0-6.2]). From this WGS paediatric SAB data, we demonstrate the previously under-recognized role MSSA has in harbouring genetic virulence and causing healthcare-associated infections. PVL positivity was the only molecular independent predictor of poor outcomes in children. These findings underscore the need for further research to define the potential implications PVL-producing strains may have on approaches to S. aureus clinical management.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-2018
DOI: 10.1111/JPC.2_14243
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 20-12-2022
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2022
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 19-02-2020
DOI: 10.1111/JPC.14827
Publisher: Emerald
Date: 19-08-2020
DOI: 10.1108/ECAM-03-2019-0177
Abstract: There is an increasing level of recognition of the pressing issues associated with climate change and resource depletion. As a result, it is well recognised that higher education institutions bear responsibilities to promote “sustainable development”. Many universities have adopted green building practices in the construction of their building infrastructure. A variety of Green Building Rating Tools (GBRTs) have been designed to facilitate green building developments. Thus, the aim of this research is to identify mechanisms to improve current GBRTs in terms of waste management (WM) practices by using green star accredited educational buildings in Australia. A qualitative approach was adopted in this study to achieve the research aim by conducting three case studies of educational buildings in South Australia. Thirty three interviews were carried out in a face-to-face, semi-structured manner and project documentations were reviewed. The participants were asked to provide their expert opinions on the GS initiative and its ability to minimise waste generation, the impact of the GS initiative on solid WM practices and problems associated with the implementation process of the GS initiative. Data was analysed using code-based content analysis using the NVivo software package. Tables and figures were used as the visualization technique to present an expedient understanding in a holistic manner. Findings showed that the Green Star (GS) initiative drives change in the way current practices are performed in the Australian construction industry. However, this study revealed that WM targets outlined in the GS initiative are not challenging enough. Thus, suggestions are provided in this research to improve the WM aspects of GS initiatives by looking beyond a focus on “sustainability” and “waste minimisation” towards a focus on regenerative environments. These findings are valuable for practitioners and policymakers seeking to improve WM practices and to address issues associated with climate change and resource depletion.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 05-09-2022
Publisher: Emerald
Date: 17-07-2019
DOI: 10.1108/ECAM-05-2018-0201
Abstract: Targeting public–private partnership (PPP) projects, the purpose of this paper is to help decision makers fairly allocate financial risk between governments and private investors through a properly designed length of concession period. On the one hand, the length of the concession period should be long enough to help private investors to achieve their expected profits. On the other hand, the length of a concession period cannot be decided without agreeing on an upper limit, since an overlong concession period takes too much time for governments to recover their investment and leads to an overly lucrative condition for private investors. Following this logic, the concession period decision range is decided, which defines the lower and upper limits for the length of the concession period. The net present values (NPVs) for governments and private investors are estimated via Monte Carlo simulation to better reflect the uncertainties. To further decide on the optimal length of the concession period, the principle of fair risk allocation between governments and private investors is adopted. The concession period, as an important project parameter, should help to minimize the financial risk gap between governments and private investors. The developed concession period determination process is validated using a numerical ex le of a PPP transportation project. The analysis outcomes show that the proposed methodology is capable of determining the length of the concession period so as to control private investors’ profit within a reasonable range while achieving a fair allocation of financial risk between governments and private investors. The outcomes also indicate that, before determining the optimal length for the concession period, governments may need to make a choice between better financial risk allocation or stringent profit control for private investors. The determination process developed here may be inapplicable to social infrastructure PPPs where the income stream is less predictable. In addition, the data analysis targets a highway project with a capital subsidy provided by the government. To strengthen the effectiveness of the proposed determination process, further research should apply the model to PPPs with other kinds of government support. The concession period for a PPP project is an important parameter and it is a common practice for governments to predetermine the length of the concession period before inviting tenders. The existing models for determining the concession period focus too much on the simulation of NPVs for project parties and neglect the importance of risk allocation in signing and maintaining a long-term contract. There is also a lack of research to evaluate the influence of governments’ preferences on the length of the concession period. To overcome the limitations of the existing models and enrich the methodology for concession period determination, this paper contributes to the body of knowledge by developing a concession period determination process which can help governments to make better decisions. The financial risk is expected to be more evenly shared between governments and private investors with the concession period derived from the proposed process. This determination process is also capable of evaluating the influence of governments’ preferences on the length of the concession period.
Publisher: Emerald
Date: 05-02-2018
DOI: 10.1108/BEPAM-11-2016-0068
Abstract: Heritage buildings are a crucial part of the UK built sector. They perpetuate a sense of identity, prestige and community. Many heritage buildings however tend to be energy inefficient and the scope for retrofitting such buildings is paramount. Heritage buildings require ratification from planning bodies in order to undertake any alteration on the building. This tends to create a bottleneck in the retrofitting of heritage office buildings. The paper aims to discuss this issue. This study utilises a case study building in Scotland to evaluate the potential for retrofitting in a UK heritage office building. Building energy simulation software is used to generate the energy data in different retrofit options. A scenario analysis on the heritage status of the building is also undertaken. The costs, energy consumption and carbon emission levels are evaluated and compared. It was found that the differential in annual energy savings achieved, based on the proportion of capital cost to operational cost, is 14.6 per cent in the heritage building, compared to 24.6 per cent in the non-heritage building. The study suggests that government and other stakeholders should seek for ways of incentivising retrofit investments in heritage buildings. This will provide an effective way of minimising the contributions of the built environment to global warming and climate change.
Publisher: Springer Singapore
Date: 19-12-2018
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 08-2013
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-2018
DOI: 10.1111/JPC.1_14243
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2015
Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers
Date: 28-08-2019
Publisher: Emerald
Date: 07-10-2019
Abstract: Sustainable construction is widely considered to be the best practice in construction, helping to create a healthy built environment. Social media is identified as a valuable data source for research on sustainable construction, and Twitter is a popular social media platform in relation to the construction. Green Building construction is identified as one of the methods that promotes sustainable construction. The purpose of this study is to characterise “Green Building” as a topic in Twitter. Social network analysis methods were applied to a large set of Twitter data related to “green building”. Time sequence analysis and network visualisation were used to characterise Twitter activity and to identify influential users. Text analytics and visualisation methods were applied to the same data set to visualise the text content of Twitter posts relating to green building. Peaks in Twitter activity were associated with physical “green building” events. The network visualisation of the Twitter data revealed a complex structure and a range of types of interactions. The most “influential” users depended on the ranking method used however, a number of users had high influence in all measures used. The tweet text visualisation showed evidence of a global and interactive audience on Twitter engaged in conversations about green building. Also, it was found that external links, emoji and popular terms related to a particular topic can be used to increase the engagement of Twitter users on that topic. Certain Green Building events were observed to be associated with high levels of Twitter activity. The virtual was found to be closely linked to the physical, and for the promotion of green building construction, their respective impact is potentially the most powerful when used in conjunction. The most influential Twitter accounts did not belong to one class of user, including both in iduals and organisations. Twitter offers a platform for a range of stakeholders in the area of green building construction to reach a substantial audience and to be influential in the public sphere. The findings of this research provide a valuable reference for industry practitioners and researchers to deepen their understanding of the application of Twitter to green building construction, and the methods of using Twitter to promote important information related to sustainable construction.
No related grants have been discovered for Nilupa Udawatta.