Description:
For almost a century, charophytes have been regarded as a group that is confined to low-nutrient-clear water conditions. In light of recent research, this generalisation of the ecological niche dimensions of charophytes has changed and now includes more facets of ecological existence. In this review, the current knowledge with respect to species-specificity as well as temporal aspects – ontogenetic and successional ones – of the ecological requirements of charophytes are presented and discussed. This review identifies new directions for ecological research on charophytes as well as knowledge gaps to be filled, not just for reasons of academic curiosity, but also for applied purposes such as lake restoration, bioremediation and bioindication of water quality and water regime.
Description:
For almost a century, charophytes have been regarded as a group that is confined to low-nutrient-clear water conditions. In light of recent research, this generalisation of the ecological niche dimensions of charophytes has changed and now includes more facets of ecological existence. In this review, the current knowledge with respect to species-specificity as well as temporal aspects – ontogenetic and successional ones – of the ecological requirements of charophytes are presented and discussed. This review identifies new directions for ecological research on charophytes as well as knowledge gaps to be filled, not just for reasons of academic curiosity, but also for applied purposes such as lake restoration, bioremediation and bioindication of water quality and water regime.
Description:
We examine various kinds of nonlinear Lagrange-type functions for constrained optimization problems. In particular, we study the weak duality, the zero duality gap property, and the existence of an exact parameter for these functions. The paper contains a detailed survey of results in these directions and comparison of different methods proposed by different authors. Some new results are also given.
Description:
On 19 August 2015, SJ visited Serangan Island, Bali Island, Indonesia (8°44'22''S, 115°13'13''E; Fig. 1), making an initial stop at a large pond in the centre-west near Benoa Bay. The pond is also part of a project to reclaim parts of Benoa Bay and is ‘land under reclamation’; it is landlocked and fed by rainwater and not affected by tidal movements. As the tide recedes thousands of shorebirds and waterbirds disperse to all areas of Benoa Bay, and return again to these ponds on the incoming tide. Shorebird species that stay at the ponds during low tide are usually quieter and hence there are opportunities to take photographs. While attempting to photograph birds of local interest such as Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius, SJ took photographs of two birds; one was clearly a Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola, but the other with bright yellow legs could not be identified in the field. When the photos were processed the yellow-legged bird was identified as a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata, but when later uploaded online it was confirmed on social media by several shorebirders (see Acknowledgements) as a Pectoral Sandpiper C. melanotus. About six photographs were taken initially, but SJ returned to take clearer shots on 21 August 2015. The identity of the bird was then confirmed and it was also considered to be a probable adult female. The key features visible in the photos that distinguish Pectoral from Sharp-tailed Sandpiper include the obvious pectoral band, yellowish legs and ‘small-headedness’ (Fig. 2). It was not seen by SJ on subsequent visits made with the specific aim of relocating the bird (25–26 & 28 August 2015), so it had presumably left the site.
Description:
On 19 August 2015, SJ visited Serangan Island, Bali Island, Indonesia (8°44'22''S, 115°13'13''E; Fig. 1), making an initial stop at a large pond in the centre-west near Benoa Bay. The pond is also part of a project to reclaim parts of Benoa Bay and is ‘land under reclamation’; it is landlocked and fed by rainwater and not affected by tidal movements. As the tide recedes thousands of shorebirds and waterbirds disperse to all areas of Benoa Bay, and return again to these ponds on the incoming tide. Shorebird species that stay at the ponds during low tide are usually quieter and hence there are opportunities to take photographs. While attempting to photograph birds of local interest such as Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius, SJ took photographs of two birds; one was clearly a Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola, but the other with bright yellow legs could not be identified in the field. When the photos were processed the yellow-legged bird was identified as a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata, but when later uploaded online it was confirmed on social media by several shorebirders (see Acknowledgements) as a Pectoral Sandpiper C. melanotus. About six photographs were taken initially, but SJ returned to take clearer shots on 21 August 2015. The identity of the bird was then confirmed and it was also considered to be a probable adult female. The key features visible in the photos that distinguish Pectoral from Sharp-tailed Sandpiper include the obvious pectoral band, yellowish legs and ‘small-headedness’ (Fig. 2). It was not seen by SJ on subsequent visits made with the specific aim of relocating the bird (25–26 & 28 August 2015), so it had presumably left the site.
Description:
This paper is concerned to re-examine Aboriginal spatial organization in the far northwest region of Victoria from Mildura to the Victorian border with South Australia. RMW Dixon (Working Papers) has noted that there is a multiplicity of names of groups in this region, and their status must be resolved. It does this by examining the primary sources and nineteenth century reconstructions such as Thomas, Goodwin, Smyth, Mathews, and Howitt, and then through a more critical analysis of twentieth century reconstructions such as Tindale. It finds that south of the Murray River and west of Mildura there were two language groups: Keramin (which included Jarijari at Mildura) and Yuyu to their west. Keramin at Mildura claimed country on both sides of the Murray River, however the Yuyu were only on the southern side of the river. The northern side of the Murray River belonged to Marawara, the southernmost dialect of Pakantji. The presence of the Marawara south of the Murray River is considered a post-contact adaptation.
Description:
Abstract: National statistics indicate the ongoing challenge of catering for the unique needs of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) within the context of inclusive education. Higher rates of difficulty and poorer outcomes are experienced by this cohort when compared to both the general population and others within the disability sector. The perspectives of educators from a variety of roles were examined to identify factors impacting upon the educational experience of high-functioning students with ASD to determine how they could be supported more effectively. Findings indicate despite extensive educational experience and considerable knowledge of ASD, many educators lack an understanding of how to identify individual student needs, and also of specific impacts of ASD and appropriate supportive strategies. Emerging from the data, the Bridges and Barriers Model of Support (BBMS) provides inclusive school communities with a framework for planning a shared understanding of student strengths, identified challenges, supportive strategies and specific targets for success.
Description:
Abstract: National statistics indicate the ongoing challenge of catering for the unique needs of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) within the context of inclusive education. Higher rates of difficulty and poorer outcomes are experienced by this cohort when compared to both the general population and others within the disability sector. The perspectives of educators from a variety of roles were examined to identify factors impacting upon the educational experience of high-functioning students with ASD to determine how they could be supported more effectively. Findings indicate despite extensive educational experience and considerable knowledge of ASD, many educators lack an understanding of how to identify individual student needs, and also of specific impacts of ASD and appropriate supportive strategies. Emerging from the data, the Bridges and Barriers Model of Support (BBMS) provides inclusive school communities with a framework for planning a shared understanding of student strengths, identified challenges, supportive strategies and specific targets for success.
Description:
Item response theory (IRT) based differential item functioning (DIF) was used to examine the construct and normative invariance of the DSM-IV oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms for ratings across Malaysian and Australian children, and Malaysian Malay and Malaysian Chinese children. To accomplish these goals, parents completed the Disruptive Behavior Rating Scale, which includes the eight DSM-IV ODD symptoms. Although the comparisons involving Malaysian and Australian children indicated DIF for five symptoms, only the symptom for “touchy” showed notable DIF. This was also the only symptom that showed DIF for the comparisons involving Malay and Chinese children. There were also minimal differences in the latent mean scores across Australian and Malaysian children and also Malay and Chinese children. These results indicate good support for the construct and normative invariance of the ODD symptoms for the samples compared.
Caucasian and south Asian men show equivalent improvements in surrogate biomarkers of cardiovascular and metabolic health following 6-weeks of supervised resistance training
Description:
Background: The South Asian population have greater cardiovascular risk than their age-matched Caucasian counterparts, characterized by unfavorable biomarkers. South Asians may also be partially resistant to the pleiotropic benefits of physical activity on cardiovascular health. There is a current absence of studies that compare markers of cardio-metabolic health between Caucasians and South Asians employing resistance exercise. This study set out to compare the response in biomarkers of cardio-metabolic health in Caucasians and South Asians in response to resistance exercise. Methods: Caucasian (n=15, 25.5 ± 4.8 yrs) and South Asian (n=13, 25.4 ± 7.0 yrs) males completed a 6-week progressive resistance exercise protocol. Fasting blood glucose, insulin, and their product insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), triglycerides (TRIGS), low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), total cholesterol (TC), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), asymmetric dimythylarginine (ADMA), L-arginine (L-ARG) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were established at baseline and following resistance exercise. Results: There were significant improvements in fasting glucose, TC, LDL, HDL and VEGF in both groups following resistance exercise ( p<0.05, for all). No change was observed in insulin, HOMA-IR, TRIGS, ADMA, L-ARG following resistance exercise ( p>0.05, in both groups). CRP increased in the South Asian group ( p<0.05) but not the Caucasian group ( p>0.05) Conclusions: The cardio-metabolic response to resistance exercise is comparable in young Caucasian and South Asian males though inflammatory response to exercise may be prolonged in South Asians.
Description:
Background: The South Asian population have greater cardiovascular risk than their age-matched Caucasian counterparts, characterized by unfavorable biomarkers. South Asians may also be partially resistant to the pleiotropic benefits of physical activity on cardiovascular health. There is a current absence of studies that compare markers of cardio-metabolic health between Caucasians and South Asians employing resistance exercise. This study set out to compare the response in biomarkers of cardio-metabolic health in Caucasians and South Asians in response to resistance exercise. Methods: Caucasian (n=15, 25.5 ± 4.8 yrs) and South Asian (n=13, 25.4 ± 7.0 yrs) males completed a 6-week progressive resistance exercise protocol. Fasting blood glucose, insulin, and their product insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), triglycerides (TRIGS), low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), total cholesterol (TC), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), asymmetric dimythylarginine (ADMA), L-arginine (L-ARG) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were established at baseline and following resistance exercise. Results: There were significant improvements in fasting glucose, TC, LDL, HDL and VEGF in both groups following resistance exercise ( p<0.05, for all). No change was observed in insulin, HOMA-IR, TRIGS, ADMA, L-ARG following resistance exercise ( p>0.05, in both groups). CRP increased in the South Asian group ( p<0.05) but not the Caucasian group ( p>0.05) Conclusions: The cardio-metabolic response to resistance exercise is comparable in young Caucasian and South Asian males though inflammatory response to exercise may be prolonged in South Asians.
Description:
The ability for coaches and fitness staff to monitor and analyse training programs has become increasingly important in pursuit of maximising player performance whilst minimising any negative consequences such as injury. The aim for each individual training session is to induce a stimulus that can provide a positive adaptation, and hence improve performance (12). Limiting injuries is crucial for team success, with lower injury burden and higher match availability both associated with higher league ranking (8). However, there is a narrow margin between over or under training an athlete, therefore the need to monitor training load is critical (3). Currently several researchers have found a link between training load and injury, each in various team sports (1, 6, 14). The typical relationship found has been linked to higher training loads resulting in greater injury occurrence. However, caution must be taken when looking to minimise injury risk simply by reducing training load. Gamble (7) proposed that the training load-injury risk should be viewed as a U-curve relationship (Figure 1, below), with both high and low training loads proposed to influence injury risk. This is hypothesised due to the fact athletes may be poorly conditioned if training load is too low or the excessive build-up of microtrauma from over training both result in an increased injury risk.
Description:
Objectives: Far fewer injury surveillance systems exist within community sport than elite sport. As a result, most epidemiological data on sports injuries have limited relevance to community-level sporting populations. There is potential for data from community club-based injury surveillance systems to provide a better understanding of community sports injuries. This study aimed to describe the incidence and profile of community-level Australian football injuries reported using a club-based injury surveillance system. Design: Prospective, epidemiological study. Methods: Sports trainers from five community-level Australian football leagues recorded injury data during two football seasons using the club-based system. An online surveillance tool developed by Sports Medicine Australia ('Sports Injury Tracker') was used for data collection. The injury incidence, profile and match injury rate were reported. Results: Injury data for 1205 players were recorded in season one and for 823 players in season two. There was significant variability in injury incidence across clubs. However, aggregated data were consistent across football seasons, with an average of 0.7 injuries per player per season and 38-39 match injuries per 1000. h match exposure. A large proportion of injuries occurred during matches, involved the lower limb and resulted from contact. Conclusions: Data from the club-based system provided a profile of injuries consistent with previous studies in community-level Australian football. Moreover, injury incidence was consistent with other studies using similar personnel to record data. However, injury incidence was lower than that reported in studies using player self-report or healthcare professionals and may be an underestimate of true values.
Description:
Abstract: Historian Greg Dening writes of history as performance. In his book Performances, he considers the limits of knowledge, claiming: we cannot describe the past independently of our knowing it, any more than we can describe the present independently of our knowing it. And, knowing it, we create it, we textualise it. That is the circle, hermeneutic if you like, of our human being. In the light of Dening's statement, I would like to reconsider my own exploration of the Australian colonial archive in writing for performance. My point of departure is a performative lecture, The More I Study Nature: Georgiana Molloy and the Code of Modernity, that I wrote as part of a larger creative work - a play, as yet unproduced, called Orchids and Insects. In the performative lecture, I follow the life story of Georgiana Molloy (1805-43), an early settler of Western Australia, and ask my reader - or audience - to consider the codes of knowledge and behaviour that we in the twenty-first century might have inherited from our colonial predecessors. My research journey led me to reflect upon the kind of stories we draw from the past, so that we might know ourselves in the present, and the role performance might play in this. I consider the choices we make about the stories that we as a culture celebrate and also, as I was to discover, the stories that we repress.
Description:
With the recently released biography of A. W. H. Phillips by Alan Bollard (2016), this article focuses upon his time in Australia over two separate periods. This includes his sabbatical spent in Melbourne and Sydney in 1959 when he worked on an Australian version of his famous curve taking into account the different institutional background and then when he took up a professorial chair in economics at the Australian National University. Using new archival material the paper delves into both episodes and how Phillips career at the ANU was cut short by a major illness.