Description:
The noxious weed Nassella neesiana is established on a wide range of productive land throughout southeastern Australia. N. neesiana seeds, when mature, are sharp, causing injury to livestock, thus posing a problem in fodder bales. To reduce infestations of agricultural weeds in situ, production of silage from weed-infested pastures is practised as part of integrated weed management (IWM). However, there is little data to demonstrate whether this process is useful to reduce infestations or the harmful properties of N. neesiana. Therefore, the minimum duration of ensilage required to reduce the viability of N. neesiana seeds was investigated, both with and without addition of ensilage inoculants in this process. Also, the decreasing propensity of the seeds to injure livestock, after various times and conditions of ensilage, was assessed. Ensilage inoculant reduced seed germination probability to zero after 35 days. When no inoculant was added, zero viability was achieved after 42 days. A qualitative assessment of the hardness of ensilaged seeds found seed husks were softer (and therefore safer) after 42 days, whether inoculant was used or not. Therefore, we suggest that both the viability of N. neesiana seeds and hardness of seed casings are significantly reduced after 42 days, thereby reducing the risks of seed dispersal and injury to livestock.
Description:
The noxious weed Nassella neesiana is established on a wide range of productive land throughout southeastern Australia. N. neesiana seeds, when mature, are sharp, causing injury to livestock, thus posing a problem in fodder bales. To reduce infestations of agricultural weeds in situ, production of silage from weed-infested pastures is practised as part of integrated weed management (IWM). However, there is little data to demonstrate whether this process is useful to reduce infestations or the harmful properties of N. neesiana. Therefore, the minimum duration of ensilage required to reduce the viability of N. neesiana seeds was investigated, both with and without addition of ensilage inoculants in this process. Also, the decreasing propensity of the seeds to injure livestock, after various times and conditions of ensilage, was assessed. Ensilage inoculant reduced seed germination probability to zero after 35 days. When no inoculant was added, zero viability was achieved after 42 days. A qualitative assessment of the hardness of ensilaged seeds found seed husks were softer (and therefore safer) after 42 days, whether inoculant was used or not. Therefore, we suggest that both the viability of N. neesiana seeds and hardness of seed casings are significantly reduced after 42 days, thereby reducing the risks of seed dispersal and injury to livestock.
Description:
In the last three decades or so there has been a significant increase in fodder trading, both in terms of the quantity of fodder traded and in terms of its economic value to the industry. Often, this fodder type may be supplied free of charge to graziers in distress due to circumstances that follow natural disasters such as bushfires, drought, and flood. However, because of the obvious urgency arising from these situations, it is suspected that much relief fodder may unintentionally pose an elevated risk for dispersal of weeds since it may be supplied from pasture not normally used for trade in fodder, and therefore is of unknown quality. Previous destructive method to detect weed propagules in bales of fodder are cumbersome, time consuming and of limited ecological and statistical value. Therefore, objective of this paper was to development of a convenient method to assess round pasture hay bales for the presence of weed propagules, to prevent unintentional spread of noxious species in hay bales. To examine this objective known quantity of seeds were added in a series of distributions to bales of seed free pasture hay, and a positive correlation for the amount of seed added per bale with that recovered in core samples was observed. Whilst the number of seeds detected per bale varied according to the distribution of seeds within the bales and the number of cores analysed, the absolute detection of seeds suggests that this sampling method is worthy of further examination. In addition, a pragmatic estimation of bale remnants after stock feeding has been investigated to more closely estimate the potential size of the remaining seed bank. The authors propose that development of this approach is timely, in the light of future climatic uncertainty driving extreme weather events that increase the need for relief fodder, which can be a potential vector for the spread of noxious weed seeds.
Description:
In the last three decades or so there has been a significant increase in fodder trading, both in terms of the quantity of fodder traded and in terms of its economic value to the industry. Often, this fodder type may be supplied free of charge to graziers in distress due to circumstances that follow natural disasters such as bushfires, drought, and flood. However, because of the obvious urgency arising from these situations, it is suspected that much relief fodder may unintentionally pose an elevated risk for dispersal of weeds since it may be supplied from pasture not normally used for trade in fodder, and therefore is of unknown quality. Previous destructive method to detect weed propagules in bales of fodder are cumbersome, time consuming and of limited ecological and statistical value. Therefore, objective of this paper was to development of a convenient method to assess round pasture hay bales for the presence of weed propagules, to prevent unintentional spread of noxious species in hay bales. To examine this objective known quantity of seeds were added in a series of distributions to bales of seed free pasture hay, and a positive correlation for the amount of seed added per bale with that recovered in core samples was observed. Whilst the number of seeds detected per bale varied according to the distribution of seeds within the bales and the number of cores analysed, the absolute detection of seeds suggests that this sampling method is worthy of further examination. In addition, a pragmatic estimation of bale remnants after stock feeding has been investigated to more closely estimate the potential size of the remaining seed bank. The authors propose that development of this approach is timely, in the light of future climatic uncertainty driving extreme weather events that increase the need for relief fodder, which can be a potential vector for the spread of noxious weed seeds.
Description:
The Internet has become an important community communications platform, supporting a range of programs and virtual environments. While there are many ways in which people choose to develop personal interactions over the Internet, one of the most popular manifestations is the creation and maintenance of social relationships using social and dating websites. In this chapter, the collection and use of data from such sites is assessed from an ethical frame, and key concepts such as informed consent, information, comprehension, and voluntariness are outlined.
Description:
The term ‘organisational learning’ was popularised by Peter Senge in ‘The Fifth Discipline’, his seminal book from 1990. Since then, the term has become widely accepted among those interested in organisational learning and change management. However, partly due to the somewhat ambiguous situation which arises in a university which is a ‘learning organisation’ in a different sense, academic staff may experience some confusion when this term is used in a higher education institutional context. Further, the embedded notions of single- and double-loop learning and tacit and explicit knowledge, which are features of organisational learning, are not widely understood by those affected by organisational learning initiatives, leading again to some unintended confusion of purpose in situations of change.
Description:
In recent years, there has been an increasing number of international students engaged in Doctoral studies in the fields of Hospitality and Tourism at Australian universities. In particular, many students come' from our near neighbours in Asia such as Malaysia and Thailand, which coincidentally reflects the growing number of major international hotel chains establishing or growing their property portfolios across the Asian Pacific region. Whilst the increase in student postgraduate by-research numbers is a welcome and a valuable development for Australian universities, it nevertheless has proved to be somewhat problematic for both the postgraduate student and their supervisors with respect to the pragmatic outcomes of the studies. For example, there is still some uncertainty about the precise nature of the benefits to the student and their home institution, to the hosting university, and to the respective countries, that accrue from these intensive studies. We suggest that, in order to advance our own contributions and impact in this area, there is more work that we need to do in further enhancing or capitalising on the research findings of the studies and the experiences which have attended the students' candidature. We are, therefore, proposing that we need to spend some time reconceptualising the meta meaning of this kind of international research experience at the postgraduate level. In the light of the degree and significance of cultural differences which regularly emerge during the supervision process, and given the paucity of fundamental and applied research into crosscultural hospitality provision, we believe that we need to re-examine the question of how our programs and procedures which are required for postgraduate level studies should be structured to provide both a quality scholarly developmental experience for students in the discipline while simultaneously generating practical benefits for relevant stakeholders, particularly those in the Hospitality industry. Consequently, what we have set ourselves the task of doing here is to focus on the link between the formal intellectual requirements of the doctoral process and the pragmatic interests of the students and all their supporting institutions in order to make more use of the three plus years of engagement with tightly focussed research problems which underpin a postgraduate by-research qualification. Our aims, in terms of the outcomes of this reflection, are to: (i) better understand differences in the nuances of cultural meanings of hospitality and help embed these meanings in future scholarly studies, (ii) contribute to an enhancement of the quality of the Hospitality practices of students' sponsoring institutions as a result of the student's doctoral experience, (iii) make closer ties between the hosting university and relevant authorities who oversee the hospitality standards of neighbouring countries in respect of international visitors, and (iv) develop closer institutional ties with hospitality training organisations, both educational and professional, in these neighbouring countries. Specific issues that will command attention in this reflection will include: the development of theoretical models of hospitality procedures which explicitly involve crosscultural dimensions; clearer definitions of critical processes of hospitality practice which involve cross-cultural understandings such as loyalty, respect, and trust; the development of perspectives on internationalisation in the hospitality industry that can be built into our own practices; and to capitalise upon the areas of difference between Western and Eastern notions of hospitality that can be shared with hospitality providers who seek to develop or enhance cross cultural training programs for their staff.
Description:
The present study aimed to examine the interactive effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration and drought stress on the growth and some of the physiological processes of Galenia pubescens. Photosynthetic rate of plants increased under elevated CO2 concentration, however drought caused significant reduction in net photosynthetic rate by (45% in 400 ppm CO2) and (27% in 700 ppm CO2) after five days simulating the drought treatment when compared with well-watered plants. Plants grown under elevated CO2 level and well-watered produced a greater biomass (17.5 ± 0.5 g per plant) compared to the plants which were grown under the ambient CO2 concentration.
Description:
The present study aimed to examine the interactive effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration and drought stress on the growth and some of the physiological processes of Galenia pubescens. Photosynthetic rate of plants increased under elevated CO2 concentration, however drought caused significant reduction in net photosynthetic rate by (45% in 400 ppm CO2) and (27% in 700 ppm CO2) after five days simulating the drought treatment when compared with well-watered plants. Plants grown under elevated CO2 level and well-watered produced a greater biomass (17.5 ± 0.5 g per plant) compared to the plants which were grown under the ambient CO2 concentration.
Description:
Abstract: Australian universities are currently undergoing significant and deep-seated change to their funding models through their relationship to Federal government social development and research agendas. Consequently, changes are being instituted at all levels of university activity. Such changes are often accompanied by considerable disruption to traditional and accepted practices. This has had the effect of introducing unanticipated institutional difficulties and is causing some significant levels of personal uncertainty for staff. We suggest that such difficulties might be mitigated by more effective, efficient and transparent change management strategies.
Description:
A sampling methodology has been devised to facilitate the selection of a purposeful sample of marine parks and sanctuaries for the investigation of their impacts on tourism, local community, and businesses. The methodology is based on multiattribute utility theory used for comparing complex alternatives in decision making and takes into account those key attributes of Victoria's 13 marine national parks and 11 marine sanctuaries that have been identified through both published and draft management plans, government policies, and relevant strategies. The attributes are: tourism services, activities, community engagement, visitation, values, interpretation, access, location, conservation significance, and regional context. Values of each marine protected area are quantified and establishment of a total attribute value score for a "typical area" enables the comparison between individual marine parks and sanctuaries. To strengthen the methodology, a panel of independent experts representing tourism, local government, and community organizations were invited to express their views with regard to these attributes, and their responses have been incorporated into the research.
Description:
A sampling methodology has been devised to facilitate the selection of a purposeful sample of marine parks and sanctuaries for the investigation of their impacts on tourism, local community and businesses. The methodology is based on multi-attribute utility theory used for comparing complex alternatives in decision making and takes into account those key attributes of Victoria's thirteen marine national parks and eleven marine sanctuaries that have been identified through both published and draft management plans, government policies and relevant strategies. The attributes are: tourism services, activities, community engagement, visitation, values, interpretation, access, location, conservation significance, and regional context. Values of each marine protected area are quantified and establishment of a total attribute value score for a typical area enables the comparison between individual marine parks and sanctuaries. To strengthen the methodology, a panel of independent experts representing tourism, local government and community organisations have been invited to express their views with regard to these attributes, and their responses have been incorporated into the research.
Description:
Invasive and noxious weeds are well known as a pervasive problem, imposing significant economic burdens on all areas of agriculture. Whilst there are multiple possible pathways of weed dispersal in this industry, of particular interest to this discussion is the unintended dispersal of weed seeds within fodder. During periods of drought or following natural disasters such as wild fire or flood, there arises the urgent need for 'relief' fodder to ensure survival and recovery of livestock. In emergency situations, relief fodder may be sourced from widely dispersed geographic regions, and some of these regions may be invaded by an extensive variety of weeds that are both exotic and detrimental to the intended destination for the fodder. Pasture hay is a common source of relief fodder and it typically consists of a mixture of grassy and broadleaf species that may include noxious weeds. When required urgently, pasture hay for relief fodder can be cut, baled, and transported over long distances in a short period of time, with little opportunity for prebaling inspection. It appears that, at the present time, there has been little effort towards rapid testing of bales, post-baling, for the presence of noxious weeds, as a measure to prevent dispersal of seeds. Published studies have relied on the analysis of relatively small numbers of bales, tested to destruction, in order to reveal seed species for identification and enumeration. The development of faster, more reliable, and non-destructive sampling methods is essential to increase the fodder industry's capacity to prevent the dispersal of noxious weeds to previously unaffected locales.
Description:
Invasive and noxious weeds are well known as a pervasive problem, imposing significant economic burdens on all areas of agriculture. Whilst there are multiple possible pathways of weed dispersal in this industry, of particular interest to this discussion is the unintended dispersal of weed seeds within fodder. During periods of drought or following natural disasters such as wild fire or flood, there arises the urgent need for 'relief' fodder to ensure survival and recovery of livestock. In emergency situations, relief fodder may be sourced from widely dispersed geographic regions, and some of these regions may be invaded by an extensive variety of weeds that are both exotic and detrimental to the intended destination for the fodder. Pasture hay is a common source of relief fodder and it typically consists of a mixture of grassy and broadleaf species that may include noxious weeds. When required urgently, pasture hay for relief fodder can be cut, baled, and transported over long distances in a short period of time, with little opportunity for prebaling inspection. It appears that, at the present time, there has been little effort towards rapid testing of bales, post-baling, for the presence of noxious weeds, as a measure to prevent dispersal of seeds. Published studies have relied on the analysis of relatively small numbers of bales, tested to destruction, in order to reveal seed species for identification and enumeration. The development of faster, more reliable, and non-destructive sampling methods is essential to increase the fodder industry's capacity to prevent the dispersal of noxious weeds to previously unaffected locales.
Description:
In the past few years, there has been some interestingdebate on the notion of postgraduate research by the exegesis route, which is currently the most favoured approach to higher degree qualification in the creative arts arena. The production of an artwork, which is accompanied by scholarly written exposition, has become a well-accepted way in which cultural and social knowledge is generated within the creative disciplines. Some problems, however, still remain with the quality supervision of creative arts postgraduate students because of the concurrent requirements of having a supervisor with a significant reputation in the student's field of creative endeavour and the skills to advise on the preparation of the scholarly document that expounds on the creative work. In addition, because of the recent history of the exegesis route to higher degrees, there are relatively few experienced research staff in creative arts departments. At the University of Ballarat's Arts Academy, we have been developing an approachto the supervisionof creative Masters and Doctoral exegeses in the context of small staff numbers, a wide variety of practice areas, and a relatively large number of enrolled students. Results to date have been encouraging, and this paper will report on the way in which we are attempting to provide each studnet with the best educational experience possible and produce world-class creative higher degree graduates within a school that has a limited financial and personnel resource base
Description:
In the past few years, there has been some interestingdebate on the notion of postgraduate research by the exegesis route, which is currently the most favoured approach to higher degree qualification in the creative arts arena. The production of an artwork, which is accompanied by scholarly written exposition, has become a well-accepted way in which cultural and social knowledge is generated within the creative disciplines. Some problems, however, still remain with the quality supervision of creative arts postgraduate students because of the concurrent requirements of having a supervisor with a significant reputation in the student's field of creative endeavour and the skills to advise on the preparation of the scholarly document that expounds on the creative work. In addition, because of the recent history of the exegesis route to higher degrees, there are relatively few experienced research staff in creative arts departments. At the University of Ballarat's Arts Academy, we have been developing an approachto the supervisionof creative Masters and Doctoral exegeses in the context of small staff numbers, a wide variety of practice areas, and a relatively large number of enrolled students. Results to date have been encouraging, and this paper will report on the way in which we are attempting to provide each studnet with the best educational experience possible and produce world-class creative higher degree graduates within a school that has a limited financial and personnel resource base