First published on Tue 22 Dec 2020 00.55 EST
Epidemiologists and public health experts have said it remains “critical” for New South Wales health authorities to track down the first case that led to transmission of Covid on Sydney’s northern beaches and, they argue, masks should now be mandatory.
The initial case that triggered the Avalon cluster – which has grown to more than 100 – has eluded authorities despite record rates of testing and strong contact tracing that has seen dozens of venues added to the alert list since the weekend. The northern beaches have been locked down until Wednesday night.
A professor of epidemiology at the University of Sydney, Alexandra Martiniuk, said it was “critical to determine how, where and when this first person of the newest outbreak became infected”.
Tube fishway technology will help fish over dam walls
21 Dec, 2020 11:00 PM
5 minutes to read
The Country
Engineers and scientists at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney have come up with an ingenious way to get fish past dam walls, weirs and other barriers blocking their migration in Australian rivers.
The so-called tube fishway is a low-cost and low-energy installation that works by pumping fish at high velocity – protected by a cushion of water – through a tube running over the obstructing barrier, to deliver them safely into the water on the other side.
And following a successful demonstration of a prototype recently at the UNSW Water Research Laboratory in Manly Vale, the group is in talks with Parramatta City Council in Sydney about the possibility of installing one at the Marsden St Weir.
December 22, 2020
Clockwise from top left: Dr. Aartjan te Velthuis, Dr. C. Raina MacIntyre, Dr. Christopher McDevitt and Dr. Karoll Cortez
HOUSTON â December 21, 2020 â Ascend Performance Materials has appointed a medical advisory board to provide counsel on its Acteev⢠technology platform.
Comprising internationally recognized experts in the fields of personal protective equipment (PPE) evaluation, viral pathology, epidemiology and infectious diseases, the board will provide scientific review and advice on end applications of Acteev technology, including masks, filtration, fabrics and engineered plastics.
âThis medical advisory board brings together some of the most distinguished researchers and medical experts from around the world,â said Dr. Vikram Gopal, Ascendâs senior vice president and chief technology officer. âWe launched Acteev as a novel way to help fight the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this team of advisors will be invaluabl
Isabella Arthur was halfway through her shift packing mangoes at Kabra when she learned her Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank.
The all-important scores were released on Saturday but Isabella’s was not there when she checked the portal at 4am before heading to MMM Mangoes and Avocados to start work at 5am.
“I checked my phone as soon as I went on smoko, which was 8.30am, and I got it,” she said.
“I’m very happy; I didn’t expect 99.15 so it was a pleasant surprise.
“I was aiming for a 97 or higher, that’s what I set my sights on - a score that was enough to get into medicine.
[Reuters]
The Philippines in 2020 signaled a stronger stance toward Beijing on the South China Sea as it drifted slowly back to the ambit of long-time ally the United States and other Southeast Asian nations pushed back on China’s expansive claims to the disputed waterway, analysts said.
After years of soft-pedaling on the South China Sea issue, President Rodrigo Duterte in September declared that a 2016 international arbitration court’s ruling in favor of the Philippines’ claims in the South China Sea was “beyond compromise.”
His comments jibed with diplomatic messaging in the preceding months from other nations with coasts on the South China Sea and governments from outside the region who are concerned about the growing assertiveness from China.