ANU Research Publications

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/1885/26

The Australian National University's Research Publications collection is an online location for collecting, preserving and disseminating the scholarly output of the University. This service allows members of the University to share their research with the wider community. ANU Open Research accepts journal articles, conference papers, book chapters, working or technical papers and other forms of scholarly communication.

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 138881

Access status: Open Access ,
In vivo metabolism of the designer anabolic steroid hemapolin in the thoroughbred horse
(Wiley, 2020-01-16)
Hemapolin (2α,3α-epithio-17α-methyl-5α-androstan-17β-ol) is a designer steroid that is an ingredient in several “dietary” and “nutritional” supplements available online. As an unusual chemical modification to the steroid A-ring could allow this compound to pass through antidoping screens undetected, the metabolism of hemapolin was investigated by an in vivo equine drug administration study coupled with GC-MS analysis. Following administration of synthetically prepared hemapolin to a thoroughbred horse, madol (17α-methyl-5α-androst-2-en-17β-ol), reduced and dihydroxylated madol (17α-methyl-5α-androstane-2β,3α,17β-triol), and the isomeric enone metabolites 17β-hydroxy-17α-methyl-5α-androst-3-en-2-one and 17β-hydroxy-17α-methyl5α-androst-2-en-4-one, were detected and confirmed in equine urine extracts by comparison with a library of synthetically derived reference materials. A number of additional madol derivatives derived from hydroxylation, dihydroxylation, and trihydroxylation were also detected but not fully identified by this approach. A yeast cell-based androgen receptor bioassay of available reference materials showed that hemapolin and many of the metabolites identified by this study were potent activators of the equine androgen receptor. This study reveals the metabolites resulting from the equine administration of the androgen hemapolin that can be incorporated into routine GC-MS antidoping screening and confirmation protocols to detect the illicit use of this agent in equine sports.
Access status: Metadata only ,
Navigating complexity: A guide and tools for interdisciplinary research on lower-carbon practices
(2026-03-17) Boddington, Sarah J.
Lower-carbon practices are socially complex-something that can challenge traditional disciplinary approaches. Researchers can find single disciplines inadequate in capturing the range of factors affecting how different groups engage with these practices. The present study addresses a critical gap in climate research methodology by providing practical tools that enable researchers to move beyond theoretical silos towards interdisciplinary analysis. It presents several inter-connected contributions: a factor landscape mapping the factors shaping responses to three key lower-carbon practices, a compilation of relevant theoretical approaches, and guidance on interdisciplinary research processes. These contributions enable more nuanced, context-sensitive research that captures the social complexity of lower-carbon practices-a critical step towards supporting effective climate action across diverse social systems.
Access status: Metadata only ,
Small Island Developing States: Vulnerability and resilience under climate change
(Springer Nature, 2021) Moncada, Stefano; Briguglio, Lino Pascal; Bambrick, Hilary; Kelman, Ilan; Iorns, Catherine; Nurse, Leonard
This book explores how vulnerable and resilient communities from SIDS are affected by climate change; proposes and, where possible, evaluates adaptation activities; identifies factors capable of enhancing or inhibiting SIDS people’s long-term ability to deal with climate change; and critiques the discourses, vocabularies, and constructions around SIDS dealing with climate change. The contributions, written by well-established scholars, as well as emerging authors and practitioners, in the field, include conceptual papers, coherent methodological approaches, and case studies from the communities based in the Caribbean Sea and the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans. In their introduction, the editors contextualise the book within the current literature. They emphasise the importance of stronger links between climate change science and policy in SIDS, both to increase effectiveness of policy and also boost scholarly enquiry in the context of whose communities are often excluded by mainstream research. This book is timely and appropriate, given the recent commission by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of a Special Report that aims at addressing vulnerabilities, “especially in islands and coastal areas, as well as the adaptation and policy development opportunities” following the Paris Agreement. Coupled with this, there is also the need to support the policy community with further scientific evidence on climate change–related issues in SIDS, accompanying the first years of implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Access status: Metadata only ,
Towards Cognitive Adequacy of Topological Spatial Relations
(2000) Renz, Jochen; Rauh, Reinhold; Knauff, Markus
Access status: Metadata only ,
Human health and climate change in Pacific Island countries
(World Health Organization (WHO Press), 2015) McIver, Lachlan; Kim, Rokho; Hales, Simon; Honda, Yasushi; Spickett, Jeffrey; Woodward, Alistair; Bambrick, Hilary; Hashizume, Masahiro; Iddings, Steven; Katscherian, Dianne; Kim, Ho; Naicker, Jyotishma
The global community has had a “blind spot” concerning the extent of the risks posed by human-induced climate change to the well-being, health and physical survival of populations. Climate change in the Pacific is threatening the health of Pacific islanders, as well as economic and social development. Extreme weather events, especially cyclones, floods and droughts, are displacing populations, causing injuries and psychological trauma, and are increasing the risks of infection and malnutrition. Hotter and wetter climates are increasing the risks for vector-borne disease. Disasters related to climate change are disrupting the delivery of health-care services and are increasing the risks of disease and death among vulnerable groups, especially young children, women of reproductive age, older people and people with disabilities. This report informs and encourages timely action by Member States towards building resilience of health sector to climate change. It targets policy-makers and advisers in various sectors, public health practitioners, scientists and community stakeholders. Climate change is a defining challenge of our time and could prove to be the most significant human health threat of the 21st century. For future generations in high-risk locations in the Pacific, climate change presents a risk to their survival.
Access status: Open Access ,
Deluge and drought: \\: Australia’s water insecurity in a changing climate.\
(Climate Council of Australia, 2018) Steffen, Will; Vertessy, Robert; Dean, Annika; Hughes, Lesley; Bambrick, Hilary; Gergis, Joelle; Rice, Martin
Access status: Open Access ,
Do people stay ‘hunkered down’ in diverse spaces? A longitudinal analysis of positive and negative social contact and the development of trust in linguistically diverse areas
(2026-07-06) O'Donnell, James; Guan, Qing
The constrict thesis hypothesises that people ‘hunker down’ or withdraw from social and civic life in the face of migrant and ethnic diversity, degrading the collective social capital and cohesion of diverse communities. The large body of research since has focused on the second part of this thesis: the relationship between diversity and social capital and cohesion and the moderating role of the wider urban ecology, neglecting the first part: whether people are engaged and socially connected within diverse spaces or whether they withdraw and hunker down. In this study, we draw on longitudinal survey data from Australia to quantitatively examine both aspects, analysing and projecting trajectories of pro- and anti-social behaviours and trust in linguistically diverse areas. The results suggest that pro-social behaviours become more common the longer people have lived in diverse areas, while hostility between neighbours declines. This finding is argued to be important for understanding processes of intergroup contact and the development of intercultural harmony. Indeed, the results suggest that while an element of hunkering down in diverse spaces appears at play, this can with time and enabling conditions give way to greater sociability and cohesion in diverse spaces.
Access status: Metadata only ,
Integration of climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and development in Vanuatu: A systems perspective
(Routledge, 2021) Savage, Amy; Huber, Corey; Bambrick, Hilary
This chapter explores climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) governance in development planning in Vanuatu. This qualitative analysis of key policies and other official documents of the Government of Vanuatu and 19 key expert interviews builds on existing literature with this case study examining CCA and DRR in Vanuatu. The chapter explores the translation of planning, policy, and institutional structures to action and implementation. Overall, a systems-based analysis of Vanuatu’s CCA & DRR governance arrangements, and its Vanuatu Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Policy (CC/DRR), show that the country has made significant efforts towards a comprehensive approach and provides some useful examples for other SIDS. In particular, the national government demonstrates progressive leadership and political will in strategically addressing CCA and DRR with a strong policy environment and institutional structures. However, it was also found that on-the-ground operationalization of policies and governance ambition faced some gaps and challenges and presented opportunities. Significant resource constraints and gaps in cross-sectoral coordination were highlighted along with opportunities for enhanced inclusion of marginal voices and local community priorities and transformative change. Strong leadership at the national level, and by individuals across government and civil society, promotes confidence for continuous improvement of CCA and DRR governance in Vanuatu and it will be important to maintain the momentum of the political will exhibited by the Government to overcome some of the identified challenges.
Access status: Open Access ,
Crunch time: how climate action in the 2020s will define Australia
(Climate Council of Australia, 2021) Steffen, Will; Bambrick, Hilary; Dean, Annika; Morgan, Wesley; Bradshaw, Simon; Baxter, Tim; Arndt, Dinah; Rice, Martin
Our future depends on urgent and decisive action to respond to the climate crisis in the 2020s, as scientific consensus makes clear our window to avoid catastrophe is closing
Access status: Open Access ,
Welcome to Queensland: Renewable one day, and the next, and next …
(Climate Council of Australia, 2019) Steffen, Will; Bambrick, Hilary; Hussey, Karen; Gergis, Joelle; Bourne, Greg; Brailsford, Louis; Dean, Annika
Queensland is rich in energy resources of the past and future: the historically important thermal coal and gas, as well as the more recent surge in solar and wind energy, which now dominate global energy investment. As the world increasingly shifts away from fossil fuels to a renewable energy future, Queensland can position itself as a leader in the transition to a modern, clean renewable powered economy.
Access status: Open Access ,
Game, Set, Match: Calling time on climate inaction
(Climate Council of Australia, 2021) Rice, Martin; Weisbrot, Ella; Bradshaw, Simon; Steffen, Will; Hughes, Lesley; Bambrick, Hilary; Charlesworth, Kate; Hutley, Nicki; Upton, Lisa
Access status: Open Access ,
Kicking the gas habit: How gas is harming our health.
(Climate Council of Australia, 2021) Bambrick, Hilary; Charlesworth, Kate; Bradshaw, Simon; Baxter, Tim
Access status: Open Access ,
Development and climate change in Small Island Developing States
(2018-03-06) Moncada, Stefano; Briguglio, Lino Pascal; Bambrick, Hilary; Kelman, Ilan
Access status: Metadata only ,
A Bayesian approach to understanding the key factors influencing temporal variability in stream water quality - A case study in the Great Barrier Reef catchments
(2021-05-20) Liu, Shuci; Ryu, Dongryeol; Angus Webb, J.; Lintern, Anna; Guo, Danlu; Waters, David; Western, Andrew W.
Stream water quality is highly variable both across space and time. Water quality monitoring programmes have collected a large amount of data that provide a good basis for investigating the key drivers of spatial and temporal variability. Event-based water quality monitoring data in the Great Barrier Reef catchments in northern Australia provide an opportunity to further our understanding of water quality dynamics in subtropical and tropical regions. This study investigated nine water quality constituents, including sediments, nutrients and salinity, with the aim of (1) identifying the influential environmental drivers of temporal variation in flow event concentrations and (2) developing a modelling framework to predict the temporal variation in water quality at multiple sites simultaneously. This study used a hierarchical Bayesian model averaging framework to explore the relationship between event concentration and catchment-scale environmental variables (e.g. runoff, rainfall and groundcover conditions). Key factors affecting the temporal changes in water quality varied among constituent concentrations and between catchments. Catchment rainfall and runoff affected in-stream particulate constituents, while catchment wetness and vegetation cover had more impact on dissolved nutrient concentration and salinity. In addition, in large dry catchments, antecedent catchment soil moisture and vegetation had a large influence on dissolved nutrients, which highlights the important effect of catchment hydrological connectivity on pollutant mobilisation and delivery.
Access status: Metadata only ,
How Australian environmental non-governmental organisations frame and enact climate justice
(2023) Gulliver, Robyn E.; Vachette, Astrid; Boddington, Sarah
This paper seeks to examine how Australian environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs) communicate about and mobilise their supporters for climate justice. ENGOs play an important role in raising awareness and changing values, attitudes and behaviours related to climate justice. However, while many Australian ENGOs have begun incorporating language around climate justice in their communications, it remains unclear how this concept is framed and enacted in practice. Using data collected from 619 ENGO websites and 149 grant applications, we examine how ENGOs describe climate justice and the collective action frames they use to mobilise action. We found that while few ENGOs provided detailed explanations of climate justice on their websites, they primarily framed climate injustice as a procedural and distributive problem. The fossil fuel sector was most commonly identified as the cause of climate injustice, and First Nations communities most commonly affected. ENGOs linked different climate justice dimensions to diverse causes, issues and actions, indicating a nuanced understanding of how climate justice can be enacted in different contexts. However, they primarily proposed incremental tactics involving education, solidarity and allyship behaviours rather than radical actions through which to drive a transformative agenda of social, political or economic change. We conclude the paper with a discussion of applied implications for ENGOs and suggestions for future research.
Access status: Metadata only ,
Cooking up change: Identity, practice, and policy in Australian household stovetop electrification
(2024) Boddington, Sarah J.
The electrification of household stovetops represents a critical pathway for reducing carbon emissions in highincome countries. This transition could reduce thousands of tonnes of emissions from gas combustion. The present study investigates how home-owners' approach stovetop electrification decisions, examining the relevance of climate change attitudes, policy incentives and demographic factors. The research specifically recruited ethnically diverse communities and compared older individuals with young families to capture varied cooking traditions, renovation timelines, and experiences of historical energy transitions. From "on-the-spot" interviews (n = 61), the findings demonstrate that stovetop electrification decisions follow three pathways: 'renovators' making necessary changes, 'moral electrifiers' driven by climate change concerns, and 'solarisers' making linked changes after installing solar panels. Both ethnic background and life-stage were meaningful influences. Climate change opinions didn't shape stovetop electrification for the majority. Cheaper running costs, being cleaner and being safer contributed to induction stovetops being accepted technology. These insights demonstrate the ways through which individuals synthesise climate change opinions, policy signals, and established practices through the lens of their cultural background and life circumstances to inform climate-relevant decisions. Understanding these person-centred dynamics is crucial for effective policy design and successful implementation.
Access status: Metadata only ,
Deaths in a sunburnt country: differential mortality responses to temperatures in a ‘hot’ country
(2009) Bambrick, Hilary; Dear, Keith; Hanigan, Ivan
Access status: Metadata only ,
Recognizing First Nations' values in natural capital accounting benefits all
(2026) Normyle, Anna; Jarvis, Diane; Woodward, Emma; Grainger, Daniel; Mathews, Dean; Melbourne, Julie; Doran, Bruce; Vardon, Michael
First Nations’ values are frequently overlooked in public and private sector decision-making. Natural Capital Accounting is increasingly promoted for decision-making but overlooks First Nations’ values, limiting its potential. Here, we present three Australian case studies highlighting the approaches, challenges, and progress made towards integrating First Nations’ values into accounting, aiming to distil lessons and help realize accounting’s potential to achieve transformative change in how decisions affecting First Nations people are made globally. We conclude that collaboration, respecting data sovereignty, and prioritizing First Nations’ voices are needed for comprehensive accounting. We recommend establishing an international working group under the auspices of the United Nations to include recognition of these values in accounting and how this recognition can inform decision-making. Recognizing First Nations’ values in Natural Capital Accounting benefits all by making these values visible and providing First Nations people, literally and figuratively, a “seat at the table” in the decisions affecting them.
Access status: Open Access ,
A data-based predictive model for spatiotemporal variability in stream water quality
(2020-02-24) Guo, Danlu; Lintern, Anna; Angus Webb, J.; Ryu, Dongryeol; Bende-Michl, Ulrike; Liu, Shuci; William Western, Andrew
Our current capacity to model stream water quality is limited - particularly at large spatial scales across multiple catchments. To address this, we developed a Bayesian hierarchical statistical model to simulate the spatiotemporal variability in stream water quality across the state of Victoria, Australia. The model was developed using monthly water quality monitoring data over 21 years and across 102 catchments (which span over 130 000 km2). The modeling focused on six key water quality constituents: total suspended solids (TSS), total phosphorus (TP), filterable reactive phosphorus (FRP), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), nitrate-nitrite (NOx) and electrical conductivity (EC). The model structure was informed by knowledge of the key factors driving water quality variation, which were identified in two preceding studies using the same dataset. Apart from FRP, which is hardly explained (19.9 %), the model explains 38.2 % (NOx) to 88.6 % (EC) of the total spatiotemporal variability in water quality. Across constituents, the model generally captures over half of the observed spatial variability; the temporal variability remains largely unexplained across all catchments, although long-term trends are well captured. The model is best used to predict proportional changes in water quality on a Box-Cox-transformed scale, but it can have substantial bias if used to predict absolute values for high concentrations. This model can assist catchment management by (1) identifying hot spots and hot moments for waterway pollution; (2) predicting the effects of catchment changes on water quality, e.g., urbanization or forestation; and (3) identifying and explaining major water quality trends and changes. Further model improvements should focus on the following: (1) alternative statistical model structures to improve fitting for truncated data (for constituents where a large amount of data fall below the detection limit); and (2) better representation of nonconservative constituents (e.g., FRP) by accounting for important biogeochemical processes. .
Access status: Open Access ,
An analysis framework to evaluate irrigation decisions using short-term ensemble weather forecasts
(2022) Guo, Danlu; Wang, Quan J.; Ryu, Dongryeol; Yang, Qichun; Moller, Peter; Western, Andrew W.
Irrigation water is an expensive and limited resource and optimal scheduling can boost water efficiency. Scheduling decisions often need to be made several days prior to an irrigation event, so a key aspect of irrigation scheduling is the accurate prediction of crop water use and soil water status ahead of time. This prediction relies on several key inputs including initial soil water status, crop conditions and weather. Since each input is subject to uncertainty, it is important to understand how these uncertainties impact soil water prediction and subsequent irrigation scheduling decisions. This study aims to develop an uncertainty-based analysis framework for evaluating irrigation scheduling decisions under uncertainty, with a focus on the uncertainty arising from short-term rainfall forecasts. To achieve this, a biophysical process-based crop model, APSIM (The Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator), was used to simulate root-zone soil water content for a study field in south-eastern Australia. Through the simulation, we evaluated different irrigation scheduling decisions using ensemble short-term rainfall forecasts. This modelling produced an ensemble of simulations of soil water content, as well as ensemble simulations of irrigation runoff and drainage. This enabled quantification of risks of over- and under-irrigation. These ensemble estimates were interpreted to inform the timing of the next irrigation event to minimize both the risks of stressing the crop and/or wasting water under uncertain future weather. With extension to include other sources of uncertainty (e.g., evapotranspiration forecasts, crop coefficient), we plan to build a comprehensive uncertainty framework to support on-farm irrigation decision-making.

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