List of Titles

Older men's lifelong learning : Common threads/sheds

Authors: Golding, Barry
Date: 2007
Type: Text , Conference paper
Relation: Paper presented at CRLL 4th International Conference: The times they are a-changin': Researching transitions in life long learning, University of Stirling, Scotland : 22nd-24th June 2007
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Description: This paper is based primarily on a suite of completed research in Australia into informal learning by older men in community contexts. Based on extensive survey and interviews, this suite forms part of the first prong of a proposed, new international comparative study of older men's(defined as over 45 years) informal learning across countries and cultures. The research into older men's lifelong learning was originally motivated by knowledge of the relatively low proportion of older men involved in adult and community education (ACE) settings in Australia. It was widely believed that older men were not interested and therefore not involved in learning. A number of research projects since 2002 in rural and remote Australian communities sought to look beyond what are conventionally regarded as education providers and closely examine whether and what learning takes place informally by older men who participate in community-based organisations. The research began with studies of men's learning in volunteer rural fire brigades, football and senior citizens clubs, land care as well as adult and community education providers. It led to as study of the learning role and function of rural fire brigades and emergency service organisations in small and remote towns across Australia. The research has most recently focussed on informal learning through men's sheds in community contexts. These workshops specifically for older men have recently sprung up and proliferated across much of southern Australia. What has emerged from the research is a picture of older men with a strong desire to socialise and learn, particularly with other men, in productive, informal contexts, wherever possible outside. Older men's experiences of learning as well as their lives generally have often been adversely affected over a lifetime by negative experiences of formal learning, starting with school. This paper takes what has been learnt from this suite of studies, pulls together some of the common threads, and places the findings against what is known from the wider international research literature about older men's learning. These include an examination of common motivations for older men to learn, common barriers, preferred pedagogies as well as some common valued outcomes. It seeks to determine whether what has been found from this research in Australian community contexts is similar to or different in what has been found other countries and cultural settings. Part of the paper includes consideration of issues associated with men's identities as they age as well as gender issues associated with learning. It also critically examines the role and legitimacy of creating learning spaces and organisations for men and older men in particular.
Description: 2003007969
Description: 2003005534

Increasing the understanding and use of natural archives of ecosystem services, resilience and thresholds to improve policy, science and practice

- Pearson, Stuart, Lynch, Jasmyn, Plant, Roel, Cork, Steve, Taffs, Kathryn, Dodson, John, Maynard, Simone, Gergis, Joelle, Gell, Peter, Thackway, Richard, Sealie, Lynne, Donaldson, Jim

Authors: Pearson, Stuart , Lynch, Jasmyn , Plant, Roel , Cork, Steve , Taffs, Kathryn , Dodson, John , Maynard, Simone , Gergis, Joelle , Gell, Peter , Thackway, Richard , Sealie, Lynne , Donaldson, Jim
Date: 2015
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Holocene Vol. 25, no. 2 (2015), p. 366-378
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Description: Despite the great potential of palaeo-environmental information to strengthen natural resource policy, science and practical outcomes naturally occurring archives of palaeo-environmental and ecosystem service information have not been fully recognised or utilised to inform the development of environmental policy. In this paper, we describe how Australian palaeo-environmental science is improving environmental understanding through local studies and regional syntheses that inform us about past conditions, extreme conditions and altered ecosystem states. Australian innovations in ecosystem services research and palaeo-environmental science contribute in five important contexts: discussions about environmental understanding and management objectives, improving access to information, improved knowledge about the dynamics of ecosystem services, increasing understanding of environmental processes and resource availability, and engaging interdisciplinary approaches to manage ecosystem services. Knowledge of the past is an important starting point for setting present and future resource management objectives, anticipating consequences of trade-offs, sharing risk and evaluating and monitoring the ongoing availability of ecosystem services. Palaeo-environmental information helps reframe discussions about desirable futures and collaborative efforts between scientists, planners, managers and communities. However, further steps are needed to translate the ecosystem services concept into ecosystem services policy and tangible management objectives and actions that are useful, feasible and encompass the range of benefits to people from ecosystems. We argue that increased incorporation of palaeo-environmental information into policy and decision-making is needed for evidence-based adaptive management to enhance sustainability of ecosystem functions and reduce long-term risks.

Wandering cats : Attitudes and behaviors towards cat containment in Australia

- Toukhsati, Samia, Young, Emily, Bennett, Pauleen, Coleman, Grahame

Authors: Toukhsati, Samia , Young, Emily , Bennett, Pauleen , Coleman, Grahame
Date: 2012
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Anthrozoos Vol. 25, no. 1 (2012), p. 61-74
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Description: Cat containment is a prominent cat management issue in Australia that provokes strong, and sometimes opposing, points of view. The aim of this study was to explore beliefs and attitudes towards containment in cat owner and non-owner groups, and to examine cat containment practices in owners. A random sample of 424 Victorian residents was recruited to complete the Community Attitudes towards Companion Animals Survey by telephone interview. The results showed that, of 142 cat owners, 80% contained their cat to a property at night but only 41.2% contained their cat to a property during the day. For cat owners, beliefs about the importance of cat containment were related to concerns regarding the protection of cats from injury and the protection of native wildlife. Beliefs relating to the importance of cat containment most strongly predicted containment practices. Conversely, findings from non-owners revealed that support for containment was generally linked to concerns regarding protection for wildlife and protection of community members from harm or nuisance behaviors. These findings indicate broad support for cat containment and suggest that education relating to the advantages of suitably enriched containment to protect cats from injury would be worthwhile in regions with cat curfews in place. © ISAZ 2012.

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VFR travel : It is underestimated

- Backer, Elisa

Authors: Backer, Elisa
Date: 2012
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Tourism Management Vol. 33, no. 1 (2012), p. 74-79
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Description: Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) travel is a substantial form of tourism worldwide. In Australia, official data measure VFR in one of two ways - purpose of visit or type of accommodation. However, this is only a measurement of those factors; it is not a measure of the size by volume of VFR travel. Yet tourism practitioners often mistakenly use these data to state the size of VFR travel in their destination. Based on quantitative research undertaken in three contrasting destinations in Australia, estimates for the size of VFR travel in those destinations is provided. These results highlight that using official data for measuring VFR travel will underestimate this segment in any Australian destination. Using the VFR definitional model as a conceptual model, this research has estimated that VFR travel represents 48% of Australia's total overnight tourism market. Â© 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

Puberty, health and sexual education in Australian regional primary schools : Year 5 and 6 teacher perceptions

- Duffy, Bernadette, Fotinatos, Nina, Smith, Amanda, Burke, Jenene

Authors: Duffy, Bernadette , Fotinatos, Nina , Smith, Amanda , Burke, Jenene
Date: 2013
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Sex Education Vol. 13, no. 2 (2013), p. 186-203
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Description: The research reported in this paper investigates why teachers in regional primary schools in the Ballarat region of Victoria, Australia, are choosing to outsource the teaching of sexuality education. A survey was conducted of 29 Year 5 and Year 6 teachers from local primary schools. The teachers provided information about: their confidence in delivering sexuality-related topics; their perceptions of the relevance of given sexuality topics to their students; the teachers' own professional development preferences; and what they saw as their personal limitations in teaching sexuality education. Teachers tended to report low confidence in teaching topics that are considered 'sensitive', such as menstruation, wet dreams and sexual intercourse. Furthermore, they indicated a need for professional development in teaching sexuality education. The greatest hurdle identified lies in identifying how to motivate, engage and support teachers to take a professional interest in teaching sexuality education. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
Description: 2003009651

Observations of caregiver supervision of children at beaches : Identification of factors associated with high supervision

- Petrass, Lauren, Blitvich, Jennifer, Finch, Caroline

Authors: Petrass, Lauren , Blitvich, Jennifer , Finch, Caroline
Date: 2011
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Injury Prevention Vol. 17, no. 4 (2011), p. 244-249
Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565904
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Description: Objective: To identify independent factors associated with caregiver supervision levels at beaches. Methods: Children (aged 1-14 years) engaged in beach play and their caregivers were observed at Australian beaches during September-April, 2008/09. Caregiver, child, and environmental factor data were collected and recorded on a validated observation instrument. The main outcome of interest was a continuous measure of supervision. After adjusting for potential clustering by beach/state, multivariable linear regression was used to identify independent factors associated with caregiver supervision. Results: Four independent predictors of supervision and one interaction effect (child age by the caregiver and child position on beach) were identified. Caregivers who were supervising from a different position to where the child was playing were less likely to provide high supervision, as were older caregivers (>35 years) compared to younger caregivers (≤34 years). Compared to children playing alone, children playing with one, or two or more others were less likely to receive high supervision, and children aged 1-4 years were likely to receive higher supervision than older children. Conclusion: This study provides new knowledge about underlying factors associated with the level of caregiver supervision in beach settings. Future studies should continue to explore independent predictors of supervision so that effective programmes, which focus on caregiver supervision, can be targeted to address poor supervision practices.

Littoral macroinvertebrates in relation to native and exotic riparian vegetation in streams of central victoria, Australia

- Jayawardana, Chandamali

Authors: Jayawardana, Chandamali
Date: 2011
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: International Journal of Energy, Environment and Economics Vol. 19, no. 6 (2011), p. 635-651
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Description: Exotic willows (Salix spp.) are widespread riparian tree species of rivers in temperate Australia and New Zealand. Willow removal is an integral part in riparian management of rivers in temperate Australia. Reeds (Phagmites australis) and shrubs (Leptospermum spp. and Callistemon spp.) are common vegetation in the riparian zone of Victorian streams and considered suitable for planting along channels in revegetation programmes following willow removal. Little is known about the novel habitats created by willows and the impact on aquatic biota of vegetation successional process following willow management programmes. Macroinvertebrate fauna in willow, Phragmites australis, Leptospermum/ Callistemon and bare bank habitats were examined in three central Victorian streams in Australia to understand the effect of such littoral habitats on macroinvertebrates taxa richness, abundance and community composition. Data were analysed using a two way ANOVA with habitat and season as main effects. Habitats had a significant effect (p<0.05) on macroinvertebrate taxa richness. Willow and Phragmites habitats generally contained more taxa and total number of individuals than Leptospermum/ Callistemon or bare bank habitats though the absolute rank order of habitats differed among seasons. In Phragmites habitats species richness was higher during winter and spring. In willow habitats it was higher during spring and autumn and in Leptospermum/ Callistemon habitats during summer. Multivariate analysis showed that community composition within the habitats was significantly different, with willow and Phragmites separating from Leptospermum/ Callistemon and bare bank habitats in seasons with high flow. It appears that a vegetation transition from willows to bare banks or shrubs alone would be potentially more disruptive to macroinvertebrate communities than a transition from willows to a combination of littoral reeds and native riparian vegetation. This result suggests that exploration of techniques to guide a transition from willow to native littoral and riparian vegetation without a disruptive clearing phase is therefore desirable. Â© 2011 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

A Chaotic field of practice: Financial reporting of the Library collections of Australia's public Universities, 2007-2011

- Carnegie, Garry, Sidaway, Shannon, West, Brian

Authors: Carnegie, Garry , Sidaway, Shannon , West, Brian
Date: 2013
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Australian Academic and Research Libraries Vol. 44, no. 4 (2013), p. 195-216
Full Text: false
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Description: The accounting practices adopted by Australia's 36 public universities in accounting for their library collections - including heritage and special collections - are identified and analysed. The data is collected from a survey of these institutions' annual reports over the period 2007 to 2011 and the analysis is guided by theoretical perspectives drawn from new institutional sociology (NIS). Consistent with prior research by West and Carnegie (2010), accounting for university library collections is depicted as a chaotic field of practice. Inconsistent and idiosyncratic policies that compromise the overall reliability, comparability and usefulness of university financial reports are observed, along with instances of dramatic valuation adjustments. However, the beginnings of some amelioration of the chaos are also detected, as regulatory activity and a voluntary homogenisation of accounting policies begin to take effect. In particular, a general trend towards more conservative accounting practices is evident as universities perhaps seek to guard against accounting debacles - most notably massive valuation write-downs - of the kind that have been suffered by several institutions over the last decade. Assigning financial values to the library collections and other non-financial resources of not-for-profit public institutions remains a problematic issue. © 2013 Australian Library & Information Association.
Description: The accounting practices adopted by Australia's 36 public universities in accounting for their library collections - including heritage and special collections - are identified and analysed. The data is collected from a survey of these institutions' annual reports over the period 2007 to 2011 and the analysis is guided by theoretical perspectives drawn from new institutional sociology (NIS). Consistent with prior research by West and Carnegie (2010), accounting for university library collections is depicted as a chaotic field of practice. Inconsistent and idiosyncratic policies that compromise the overall reliability, comparability and usefulness of university financial reports are observed, along with instances of dramatic valuation adjustments. However, the beginnings of some amelioration of the chaos are also detected, as regulatory activity and a voluntary homogenisation of accounting policies begin to take effect. In particular, a general trend towards more conservative accounting practices is evident as universities perhaps seek to guard against accounting debacles - most notably massive valuation write-downs - of the kind that have been suffered by several institutions over the last decade. Assigning financial values to the library collections and other non-financial resources of not-for-profit public institutions remains a problematic issue. © 2013 © 2013 Australian Library & Information Association.

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Virtual teams : Worlds apart

- Knox, Ian, Wilmott, Deirdre

Authors: Knox, Ian , Wilmott, Deirdre
Date: 2008
Type: Text , Conference proceedings
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Description: Virtual teams are a relatively new phenomenon. A number of studies have focused on the description of team development and the group process of virtual learning teams as they form. This paper is a study of how Australian and American undergraduates worked together in virtual teams to respond to ethical and business practice problems for a given scenario. The study specifically examined the communication methods, task completion methodology and cultural differences exhibited by two undergraduate classes from the University of Ballarat, Ballarat Australia and Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, Alabama, United States. Both synchronous and asynchronous communications methods were used with differing levels of enthusiasm and acceptance. Although the study was based on a small sample, which limits its generalisability, there are implications to inform those who are considering similar methods in their teaching. © 2008 Ian Knox and Deirdre Wilmott.
Description: 2003010647

Climatic records over the past 30ka from temperate Australia - a synthesis from the Oz-INTIMATE workgroup

- Petherick, Lynda, Bostock, Helen, Cohen, Tim, Fitzsimmons, Kathryn, Tibby, John, Fletcher, M. S., Moss, Patrick, Reeves, Jessica, Mooney, Scott, Barrows, Timothy, Kemp, Justine, Jansen, John, Nanson, Gerald, Dosseto, Anthony

Authors: Petherick, Lynda , Bostock, Helen , Cohen, Tim , Fitzsimmons, Kathryn , Tibby, John , Fletcher, M. S. , Moss, Patrick , Reeves, Jessica , Mooney, Scott , Barrows, Timothy , Kemp, Justine , Jansen, John , Nanson, Gerald , Dosseto, Anthony
Date: 2013
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Quaternary Science Reviews Vol. 74, no. (2013), p. 58-77
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Description: Temperate Australia sits between the heat engine of the tropics and the cold Southern Ocean, encompassing a range of rainfall regimes and falling under the influence of different climatic drivers. Despite this heterogeneity, broad-scale trends in climatic and environmental change are evident over the past 30ka. During the early glacial period (~30-22ka) and the Last Glacial Maximum (~22-18ka), climate was relatively cool across the entire temperate zone and there was an expansion of grasslands and increased fluvial activity in regionally important Murray-Darling Basin. The temperate region at this time appears to be dominated by expanded sea ice in the Southern Ocean forcing a northerly shift in the position of the oceanic fronts and a concomitant influx of cold water along the southeast (including Tasmania) and southwest Australian coasts. The deglacial period (~18-12ka) was characterised by glacial recession and eventual disappearance resulting from an increase in temperature deduced from terrestrial records, while there is some evidence for climatic reversals (e.g. the Antarctic Cold Reversal) in high resolution marine sediment cores through this period. The high spatial density of Holocene terrestrial records reveals an overall expansion of sclerophyll woodland and rainforest taxa across the temperate region after ~12ka, presumably in response to increasing temperature, while hydrological records reveal spatially heterogeneous hydro-climatic trends. Patterns after ~6ka suggest higher frequency climatic variability that possibly reflects the onset of large scale climate variability caused by the El NiÃ±o/Southern Oscillation. Â© 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
Description: 2003011211

Establishment of the Box-Ironbark ecological thinning trial in north central Victoria

- Pigott, Patrick, Palmer, Grant, Yen, Alan, Tolsma, Arn, Brown, Geoff, Gibson, Matthew, Wright, John

Authors: Pigott, Patrick , Palmer, Grant , Yen, Alan , Tolsma, Arn , Brown, Geoff , Gibson, Matthew , Wright, John
Date: 2010
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria Vol. 122, no. 2 (2010), p. 111-122
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Description: An ecological thinning trial was established in 2003 in north-central Victoria as part of the development of an ecological management strategy to support the newly created Box-Ironbark Parks and Reserves System. The objective of the trial was to restore diversity of habitat structure to declining Box-Ironbark forests and woodlands. Three ecological thinning techniques were designed around several principles: reducing total basal-area of trees and retaining levels of patchiness whilst retaining large trees. Thinning treatments were implemented in 30 ha plots at four conservation reserves south of Bendigo, Victoria. A range of ecosystem components were monitored before and after thinning. A woody-debris removal treatment was also set-up at a 1 ha scale within thinning treatments. Prior to thinning, plots were dominated by high numbers of coppice regenerated trees with few of the trees sampled considered large, resulting in low numbers of tree hollows and low loadings of coarse woody debris. It is anticipated that the establishment of the ecological thinning trial (Phase I), is the beginning of long-term monitoring, as effects of thinning on key habitat values may not be apparent for up to 50 years or more. The vision for restoration of Box-Ironbark forests and woodlands is one of a mosaic landscape with a greater diversity of habitat types including open areas and greater numbers of larger, hollow-bearing trees. This paper summarises the experimental design and the techniques adopted in Phase I of this project during 2003-2008.

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Cancer incidence and soil arsenic exposure in a historical gold mining area in Victoria, Australia : A geospatial analysis

- Pearce, Dora, Dowling, Kim, Sim, Malcolm

Authors: Pearce, Dora , Dowling, Kim , Sim, Malcolm
Date: 2012
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology Vol. 22, no. 3 (2012), p. 248-257
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Description: Soil and mine waste around historical gold mining sites may have elevated arsenic concentrations. Recent evidence suggests some systemic arsenic absorption by residents in the goldfields region of Victoria, Australia. Victorian Cancer Registry and geochemical data were accessed for an ecological geographical correlation study, 1984-2003. Spatial empirical Bayes smoothing was applied when estimating standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) for cancers in 61 statistical local areas. The derived soil arsenic exposure metric ranged from 1.4 to 1857 mg/kg. Spatial autoregressive modelling detected increases in smoothed SIRs for all cancers of 0.05 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.02-0.08) and 0.04 (0.01-0.07) per 2.7-fold increase in the natural log-transformed exposure metric for males and females, respectively, in more socioeconomically disadvantaged areas; for melanoma in males (0.05 (0.01-0.08) adjusted for disadvantage) and females (0.05 (0.02-0.09) in disadvantaged areas). Excess risks were estimated for all cancers (relative risk 1.21 (95% CI, 1.15-1.27) and 1.08 (1.03-1.14)), and melanoma (1.52 (1.25-1.85) and 1.29 (1.08-1.55)), for males and females, respectively, in disadvantaged areas in the highest quintile of the exposure metric relative to the lowest. Our findings suggest small but significant increases in past cancer risk associated with increasing soil arsenic in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas and demonstrate the robustness of this geospatial approach. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology advance online publication, 21 March 2012.

Sea-level trend analysis for coastal management

- Parker, Albert, Saad Saleem, Muhammad, Lawson, M.

Authors: Parker, Albert , Saad Saleem, Muhammad , Lawson, M.
Date: 2013
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Ocean and Coastal Management Vol. 73, no. (2013), p. 63-81
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Description: A proper coastal management requires an accurate estimation of sea level trends locally and globally. It is claimed that the sea levels are rising following an exponential growth since the 1990s, and because of that coastal communities are facing huge challenges. Many local governments throughout Australia, including those on the coast, have responded to the various warnings about changes in climate and increases in sea levels by undertaking detailed climate change risk management exercises. These exercises, which use projections passed on by the relevant state bodies, are expensive, but still a fraction of the cost of the capital works that they recommend. Several councils have complained to an Australian Productivity Commission report on climate change adaptation they do not have the money for the capital works required. It is shown here that the exponential growth claim is not supported by any measurement of enough length and quality when properly analysed. The tide gauge results do not support the exponential growth theory. The projections by the relevant state bodies should therefore be revised by considering the measurements and not the models to compute the future sea level rises for the next 30 years following the same trend experienced over the last 30 years. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

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A neural network approach for predicting the direction of the Australian stock market index

- Tilakaratne, Chandima

Authors: Tilakaratne, Chandima
Date: 2004
Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
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Description: This research investigated the feasibility and capability of neural network-based approaches for predicting the direction of the Australian Stock market index (the target market). It includes several aspects: univariate feature selection from the historical time series of the target market, inter-market analysis for finding the most relevant influential markets, investigations of the effect of time cycles on the target market and the discovery of the optimal neural network architectures. Previous research on US stock markets and other international markets have shown that the neural network approach is one of most powerful techniques for predicting stock market behaviour. Neural networks are capable of capturing the non-linear stochastic and chaotic patterns in the stock market time series data. This study discovered that the relative return series of the Open, High, Low and Close prices of the target market, show 6-day cycles during the studied period of about 14 years. Multi-layer feedforward neural networks trained with a backpropagation algorithm were used for the experiments. Two major testing methods: testing with randomly selected test data and forward testing, were examined and compared. The best neural network developed in this study has achieved 87%, 81% 83% and 81% accuracy respectively in predicting the next-day direction of the relative return of the Open, High, Low and Close prices of the target market. The architecture of this network consists of 33 input features, one hidden layer with 3 neurons and 4 output neurons. The best input features set includes the relative returns from 1 to 6 days in the past of the Open, High, Low and Close prices of the target market, the day of the week, and the previous day’s relative return of the Close prices of the US S&P 500 Index, US Dow Jones Industrial Average Index, US Gold/Silver Index, and the US Oil Index.
Description: Master of Information Technology by Research

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Common wealth through community men's sheds : Lives and learning networks beyond work

- Golding, Barry

Authors: Golding, Barry
Date: 2008
Type: Text , Conference paper
Relation: Paper presented at Fifth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning, University of London, London, UK : 13th-17th July 2008
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Description: This paper explores the recent phenomenon and benefits of community men's sheds in Australia, focusing on the important role sheds and workshop-based practice plays in creating informal learning and friendship networks for men. It is based on recent studies of organizations and contexts in Australia that informally and effectively engage men. Problems are identified with front-end models of vocational training that disregard or undervalue the lifetime of skills and experiences built up by men in previous paid work roles and in adult and community education sectors that tend not to cater for men or diverse masculinities. Insights are provided into ways in which men's skills and experiences can be shared, transferred, valued and celebrated in men's livelihoods beyond paid work, through regular, shared, hands on activity in gendered communities of practice. It particularly explores the untapped potential of open and flexible shed-based practice for men';s vocational retraining, lifelong learning and inter-generational skills transfer. The "open" and inclusive nature of the community shed and what occurs in it and its pedagogical familiarity with men are identified as its key strengths. The paper identifies what it is about the nature of community-based men's sheds that has proven to be increasingly popular, productive and therapeutic in Australia in the past decade. One of my purposes at presenting at this conference is to seek out, identify and learn about different and similar insights from conference participants from other countries that might contribute to an ongoing international study of men's informal learning beyond the workplace. My paper particularly seeks to identify shed and workshop-type settings and organizations in other national and cultural contexts that might play a similar role in the livelihoods of men, families and communities.

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Start up and beyond : Evolving training needs for rural women in small business

- Newton, Janice, Gottschalk, Lorene, Wood, Glenice

Authors: Newton, Janice , Gottschalk, Lorene , Wood, Glenice
Date: 2004
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of New Business Ideas and Trends Vol. 2, no. 1 (2004), p. 29-42
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Description: The rural decline in Australian industry restructuring and the withdrawal of infrastructural services (ABS, 1998), gives rise to the hope of a turnaround in regional and rural Australia arising from the growth of new business ventures. There has been a trend towards an increase in both small business and the involvement of women in recent years (ABS 1301.0, 1997). This combination is important for a sustainable rural future, and therefore, a greater understanding is needed of how women stand in relation to sound business preparation, and attitudes to professional training.
Description: C1
Description: 2003000792

Taxonomy of the Proisotoma complex. II. A revision of the genus Subisotoma and a description of Isotopenola gen. nov (Collembola: Isotomidae)

- Potapov, Mikhail, Babenko, Anatoly, Fjellberg, Arne, Greenslade, Penelope

Authors: Potapov, Mikhail , Babenko, Anatoly , Fjellberg, Arne , Greenslade, Penelope
Date: 2009
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Zootaxa Vol. , no. 2314 (2009), p. 1-40
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Description: A taxonomic revision of the genus Subisotoma Stach, 1947 is presented. Subisotoma pusilla (Schaffer, 1900), S. tenuis (Dunger, 1982), and S. asiatica (Martynova, 1970) are re-described based on type and fresh material. Eight new species of the genus are described; S. pomorskii sp. nov., S. homonomica sp. nov., S. bisensillata sp. nov., S. guzeriplica sp. nov., S. posteriomollis sp. nov., S. multisensillata sp. nov., S. cruda sp. nov., and S. erratica sp. nov., using material from Eurasia. A key to the known species of Subisotoma is given. A new genus, Isotopenola gen. nov., is erected for some southern representatives of the 'Cryptopygus' complex related to Subisotoma: I. australis (Womersley, 1934) comb. nov., I. loftyensis (Womersley, 1934) comb. nov., I. nilgiris (Denis, 1947) comb. nov. They are re-described based on type and fresh material. A new species I. delicata sp. nov. is described from Australia. A key to the known species of Isotopenola is given.

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Bird responses to targeted revegetation : 40 years of habitat enhancement at Clarkesdale Bird sanctuary, central-western Victoria

- Loyn, Richard, Faragher, J. T., Coutts, D. C., Palmer, Grant

Authors: Loyn, Richard , Faragher, J. T. , Coutts, D. C. , Palmer, Grant
Date: 2009
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Australian Field Ornithology Vol. 26, no. 3 (2009), p. 53-75
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Description: A program of planting Australian shrubs and trees has been conducted in degraded farmland at the Clarkesdale Bird Sanctuary (central-western Victoria) since the 1960s, to address the issue of declining native birds, as perceived by the late landowner Gordon Clarke. The shrubs and trees were selected to attract birds, and included many species that were not native to the region. This form of management is often practised by private landholders (at various scales), but its effects are rarely documented. Bird surveys were conducted for this study between 1999 and 2001 at 27 sites: 11 in native eucalypt forest on ridges and slopes, 13 in planted areas on ridges and slopes, and three in planted areas on river-flats and a small gully (with three supplementary sites in a pine plantation). Total bird abundance and species per count were highest in the planted sites on river-flats and gully, and higher in the planted sites on ridges and slopes than in native forest on similar topography. Honeyeaters (Meliphagidae), Superb Fairy-wrens Malurus cyaneus, open-country birds, seed-eating birds and five insectivorous guilds reached their maximum abundance in planted sites. Barkforaging insectivores, canopy-foraging insectivores, frugivores and a generalist insectivore were marginally more common in native forest than in planted sites. Introduced birds were uncommon. Generalised linear modelling showed that total bird abundance was positively related to the cover of planted native vegetation, native low shrubs and young wattles Acacia spp. and to the presence of indigenous Cherry Ballart Exocarpos cupressiformis. Various guilds showed positive relationships with the cover of planted native vegetation, native low shrubs, young wattles, original old wattles, original old eucalypts and trees with small or large hollows. The planting program has provided new habitat for many native forest birds. A greater challenge is to address the needs of some uncommon species that have declined locally, such as the Brown Treecreeper Climacteris picumnus and Speckled Warbler Chthonicola sagittata.

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