Report : effect of natural cleaning on salt deposition on Queensland bridges

Maintenance of bridge structures is a major issue for the Queensland Department of Main Roads. In the previous phase of this CRC project an initial approach was made towards the development of a program for lifetime prediction of metallic bridge components. This involved the analysis of five representative bridge structures with respect to salt deposition (a major contributor to metallic corrosion) to determine common elements to be used as “cases” - those defined for buildings are not applicable. The five bridges analysed included the Gladstone Port Access Road Overpass, Stewart Road Overpass, South Johnstone River Bridge, Johnson Creek Bridge and the Ward River Bridge.

Strongly Secure Certificateless Key Agreement

We introduce a formal model for certificateless authenticated key exchange (CL-AKE) protocols. Contrary to what might be expected, we show that the natural combination of an ID-based AKE protocol with a public key based AKE protocol cannot provide strong security. We provide the first one-round CL-AKE scheme proven secure in the random oracle model. We introduce two variants of the Diffie-Hellman trapdoor the introduced by \cite{DBLP:conf/eurocrypt/CashKS08}. The proposed key agreement scheme is secure as long as each party has at least one uncompromised secret. Thus, our scheme is secure even if the key generation centre learns the ephemeral secrets of both parties.

The impact of natural disasters on residential property markets

Over the past ten years various residential property markets throughout Australia in general and NSW in particular have been subject to substantial natural disasters. These occurrences have included floods, bushfires and hailstorms. In extreme cases the actual rectification costs have been up to AUD$1.5 billion, which occurred with the severe hailstorm in Sydney in April 1999 and cyclone Tracey in Darwin in 1974. Natural disasters such as severe storms and hailstorms have tended to be very indiscriminate in relation to frequency and the actual location of damage, whereas the nature of bushfire and flooding tends to be more defined. Although these extreme natural disasters tend to be infrequent, occurrences of floods and bushfires in residential property areas are more frequent, particularly as urban sprawl encroaches closer to national Parks, State recreation Parks and State forests. Considerable work has been carried out on flood effects on property markets by Bell (1999), Donnelly (1988), McClusky and Rausser (2001), Skrantz and Strickland (1987) in the US, and Chou and Shih (2001) in Taiwan. Fibbens (1994), Lambley and Cordery (1991) and Eves (1999, 2001, 2002) have carried out studies in relation to the effect of flooding on residential property values in the Sydney region, including the tracking of flood prone property values over time. However, no similar rigorous research has been carried out in relation to the impact of bushfires on residential property markets in the Sydney region.

Comparison of molecular markers to detect fresh sewage in environmental waters

Human-specific Bacteroides HF183 (HS-HF183), human-specific Enterococci faecium esp (HS-esp), human-specific adenoviruses (HS-AVs) and human-specific polyomaviruses (HS-PVs) assays were evaluated in freshwater, seawater and distilled water to detect fresh sewage. The sewage spiked water samples were also tested for the concentrations of traditional fecal indicators (i.e., Escherichia coli, enterococci and Clostridium perfringens) and enteric viruses such as enteroviruses (EVs), sapoviruses (SVs), and torquetenoviruses (TVs). The overall host-specificity of the HS-HF183 marker to differentiate between humans and other animals was 98%. However, the HS-esp, HS-AVs and HS-PVs showed 100% hostspecificity. All the human-specific markers showed >97% sensitivity to detect human fecal pollution. E. coli, enterococci and, C. perfringens were detected up to dilutions of sewage 10_5, 10_4 and 10_3 respectively.HS-esp, HS-AVs, HS-PVs, SVs and TVs were detected up to dilution of sewage 10_4 whilst EVs were detected up to dilution 10_5. The ability of the HS-HF183 marker to detect freshsewagewas3–4 orders ofmagnitude higher than that of the HS-esp and viral markers. The ability to detect fresh sewage in freshwater, seawater and distilled water matrices was similar for human-specific bacterial and viral marker. Based on our data, it appears that human-specific molecular markers are sensitive measures of fresh sewage pollution, and the HS-HF183 marker appears to be the most sensitive among these markers in terms of detecting fresh sewage. However, the presence of the HS-HF183 marker in environmental waters may not necessarily indicate the presence of enteric viruses due to their high abundance in sewage compared to enteric viruses. More research is required on the persistency of these markers in environmental water samples in relation to traditional fecal indicators and enteric pathogens.

Prevalence and occurrence of zoonotic bacterial pathogens in surface waters determined by quantitative PCR

The prevalence and concentrations of Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella spp. and enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) were investigated in surface waters in Brisbane, Australia using quantitative PCR (qPCR) based methodologies. Water samples were collected from Brisbane City Botanic Gardens (CBG) Pond, and two urban tidal creeks (i.e., Oxley Creek and Blunder Creek). Of the 32 water samples collected, 8 (25%), 1 (3%), 9 (28%), 14 (44%), and 15 (47%) were positive for C. jejuni mapA, Salmonella invA, EHEC O157 LPS, EHEC VT1, and EHEC VT2 genes, respectively. The presence/absence of the potential pathogens did not correlate with either E. coli or enterococci concentrations as determined by binary logistic regression. In conclusion, the high prevalence, and concentrations of potential zoonotic pathogens along with the concentrations of one or more fecal indicators in surface water samples indicate a poor level of microbial quality of surface water, and could represent a significant health risk to users. The results from the current study would provide valuable information to the water quality managers in terms of minimizing the risk from pathogens in surface waters.

Electron paramagnetic resonance spectral studies on natural sapphire

EPR study of both blue and green sapphire samples confirms the presence of Cr(III) in four different octahedral sites. The g (1.98) value is the same but D values differ for the two the samples. The EPR spectra suggest that the blue sapphire contains more chromium than the green sapphire. No Fe(III) impurity was noted in the EPR spectrum.

Natural enemies of Paropsis atomaria Olivier (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in south-eastern Queensland eucalypt plantations

Abstract A field survey for natural enemies of Paropsis atomaria was conducted at two south-eastern Queensland Eucalyptus cloeziana plantation sites during 2004–2005. Primary egg and larval parasitoids and associated hyperparasitoids were identified to genus or species, and parasitism rates were determined throughout the season. Predators were identified to family level but their impact was not quantified. P. atomaria adults were also examined as potential hosts for parasitic mites and nematodes. An undescribed species of Neopolycystus (Pteromalidae) was the major primary egg parasitoid species reared from egg batches, parasitising half of all egg batches collected. Three hyperparasitoid species (Baeoanusia albifunicle (Encyrtidae), Neblatticida sp. (Encyrtidae) and Aphaneromella sp. (Platygasteridae) were present, representing around one-quarter to one-third of all emergent wasps; this is the first host association record for Neopolycystus–B. albifunicle. In contrast to populations of P. atomaria from the Australian Capital Territory, primary larval parasitism was very low, around 1%, and attributable only to the tachinid flies Anagonia sp. and Paropsivora sp. However, the presence of the sit-and-wait larval hyperparasitoid, Perilampus sp. (Perilampidae) was high, emerging from around 17% of tachinid pupae, with planidia infesting a further 40% of unparasitised hosts. Three species of podapolipid mites parasitised sexually mature P. atomaria adults, while no nematodes were found in this study. Spiders were the most common predators and their abundance was positively correlated with P. atomaria adult and egg numbers. Although natural enemy species composition was identical between our two study sites, significant differences in abundance and frequency were found between sites

Reducing the risk of posttraumatic stress disorder in children following natural disasters

A significant number of children suffer long term psychological disturbance following exposure to a natural disaster. Evidence suggests that a dose-response relationship exists, so that children and adolescents who experience the most intense or extensive exposure to the risk factors for PTSD are likely to develop the most serious and persistent symptoms. Risk factors include gender, age, personality, extent of exposure to the natural disaster, amount of damage to property and infrastructure, witnessing injury or death of others or perceiving a threat to their own life. Knowing these factors enables various strategies to be put in place to decrease the risk of psychological disturbance following the aftermath of traumatic events. Re-establishing a sense of safety, security and normality is important in the aftermath of a natural disaster, and promoting social connectedness, positive family functioning, and effective coping mechanisms can make children more resilient in the face of catastrophic events. This paper examines the risk and protective factors associated with the development of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and considers how schools can use this knowledge to contribute to the recovery effort, and reduce the prevalence of PTSD amongst pupils in the wake of a natural disaster.

Optical absorption, infrared, Raman and EPR spectral studies on natural Iowaite mineral

Natural iowaite, magnesium–ferric oxychloride mineral having light green color originating from Australia has been characterized by EPR, optical, IR, and Raman spectroscopy. The optical spectrum exhibits a number of electronic bands due to both Fe(III) and Mn(II) ions in iowaite. From EPR studies, the g values are calculated for Fe(III) and g and A values for Mn(II). EPR and optical absorption studies confirm that Fe(III) and Mn(II) are in distorted octahedral geometry. The bands that appear both in NIR and Raman spectra are due to the overtones and combinations of water and carbonate molecules. Thus EPR, optical, and Raman spectroscopy have proven most useful for the study of the chemistry of natural iowaite and chemical changes in the mineral.

Towards an intelligent learning system for the natural born cyborg

We propose to design a Custom Learning System that responds to the unique needs and potentials of individual students, regardless of their location, abilities, attitudes, and circumstances. This project is intentionally provocative and future-looking but it is not unrealistic or unfeasible. We propose that by combining complex learning databases with a learner’s personal data, we could provide all students with a personal, customizable, and flexible education. This paper presents the initial research undertaken for this project of which the main challenges were to broadly map the complex web of data available, to identify what logic models are required to make the data meaningful for learning, and to translate this knowledge into simple and easy-to-use interfaces. The ultimate outcome of this research will be a series of candidate user interfaces and a broad system logic model for a new smart system for personalized learning. This project is student-centered, not techno-centric, aiming to deliver innovative solutions for learners and schools. It is deliberately future-looking, allowing us to ask questions that take us beyond the limitations of today to motivate new demands on technology.

Making the most of MiLK : harnessing the contemporary culture and interests of natural born cyborg

MiLK is a mobile learning kit that allows students and teachers to author their own place-based learning events using simple web and mobile technologies. We will demonstrate how MiLK has been used by a number of teachers in various contexts to connect students, curriculum and everyday environments. This workshop will introduce participants to the various MiLK tools and processes; including mapping, designing, playing and reviewing events, group journals, discussion forums, student profiles, and class profiles. We will focus on the role of place as a potential resource for curriculum design and delivery. The MiLK Team are looking for enthusiastic mobile technology champions to join us. No previous experience or training in this area is needed. This workshop is designed to be relevant to all KLAs. During this session teachers will have an opportunity to experiment with simple tools to create dynamic resources for their own classrooms.

Surviving the Titanic disaster : economic, natural and social determinants

The sinking of the Titanic in April 1912 took the lives of 68 percent of the people aboard. Who survived? It was women and children who had a higher probability of being saved, not men. Likewise, people traveling in first class had a better chance of survival than those in second and third class. British passengers were more likely to perish than members of other nations. This extreme event represents a rare case of a well-documented life and death situation where social norms were enforced. This paper shows that economic analysis can account for human behavior in such situations.

Thermoanalytical studies of natural potassium, sodium and ammonium alunites

Dynamic and controlled rate thermal analysis (CRTA) has been used to characterise alunites of formula [M(Al)3(SO4)2(OH)6 ] where M+ is the cations K+, Na+ or NH4+. Thermal decomposition occurs in a series of steps. (a) dehydration, (b) well defined dehydroxylation and (c) desulphation. CRTA offers a better resolution and a more detailed interpretation of water formation processes via approaching equilibrium conditions of decomposition through the elimination of the slow transfer of heat to the sample as a controlling parameter on the process of decomposition. Constant-rate decomposition processes of water formation reveal the subtle nature of dehydration and dehydroxylation.

Simultaneous localisation and mapping from natural landmarks using RatSLAM

This paper describes the current state of RatSLAM, a Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM) system based on models of the rodent hippocampus. RatSLAM uses a competitive attractor network to fuse visual and odometry information. Energy packets in the network represent pose hypotheses, which are updated by odometry and can be enhanced or inhibited by visual input. This paper shows the effectiveness of the system in real robot tests in unmodified indoor environments using a learning vision system. Results are shown for two test environments; a large corridor loop and the complete floor of an office building.