Assessing the adaptive capacity of hospital facilities to cope with climate-related extreme weather events: A risk management approach. Given Australia's and New Zealand's relatively high exposure to climate extremes, the social, economic and health benefits of better managed hospital facilities are significant. Floods, bushfires, heatwaves and cyclones cost Australia over $1.4bn/year and New Zealand over NZ$43m/yr in disruption to communities, business productivity and damage to infrastructure. ....Assessing the adaptive capacity of hospital facilities to cope with climate-related extreme weather events: A risk management approach. Given Australia's and New Zealand's relatively high exposure to climate extremes, the social, economic and health benefits of better managed hospital facilities are significant. Floods, bushfires, heatwaves and cyclones cost Australia over $1.4bn/year and New Zealand over NZ$43m/yr in disruption to communities, business productivity and damage to infrastructure. This research will help to mitigate these costs by protecting populations from the health risks associated with such events. The potential benefits will be most significant for those vulnerable communities at high risk such as the aged, the obese, the ill and those geographically exposed to more extreme weather events.Read moreRead less
POLYMER-BASED COATINGS TO INCREASE THE SURVIVAL OF MICROBIAL INOCULANTS APPLIED TO AGRICULTURAL SEEDS. World-wide, there is much active research to maximise the use of Rhizobium for legumes and to develop a new range of growth-promoting micro-organisms for application to agricultural crops including cereals. However, very poor survival of inoculant bacteria after application to seed severely limits their effectiveness. New polymer coatings on seed may enhance survival of inoculants. By collabora ....POLYMER-BASED COATINGS TO INCREASE THE SURVIVAL OF MICROBIAL INOCULANTS APPLIED TO AGRICULTURAL SEEDS. World-wide, there is much active research to maximise the use of Rhizobium for legumes and to develop a new range of growth-promoting micro-organisms for application to agricultural crops including cereals. However, very poor survival of inoculant bacteria after application to seed severely limits their effectiveness. New polymer coatings on seed may enhance survival of inoculants. By collaboration between chemists, rhizobiologists and the inoculant and seed-coating industries, innovative technology can now be generated, improving inoculum potential, giving higher crop yields using less fertilisers. The technology will generate a rural service industry providing coated seed products that reduce farmers' input costs and help maximise their income.Read moreRead less