Old Brisbane Botanic Gardens: Conservation Plan Review 2005, Report of Stage 1 Heritage Significance and Conservation Policies

Report for City Design, for Environment and Parks, within the Brisbane City Council. Context of this Project A Conservation Study for the Old Brisbane Botanic Gardens, formerly called the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens, was finalised in 1995 and prepared by Jeannie Sim for the Landscape Section of Brisbane City Council, the same author of the present report. This unpublished report was the first conservation plan prepared for the place and it was recommended that it be reviewed in five years time. That time has arrived finally with the preparation of the 2005 Review. The present project was commissioned by City Design on behalf of Environment and Parks Section of Brisbane City Council. The author has purposely chosen to call the study site the 'Old Brisbane Botanic Gardens' (OBBG) to differentiate it from the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mt. Coot-tha (BBG-MC), and to maintain the claim for this original garden to remain as a botanic garden for Brisbane. This name immediately brings to mind an association with history, as in the precedent set by the naming of the nearby 'Old Government House' at Gardens Point.

Community engagement and groundwater investigation in a rural/peri urban basaltic aquifier system, Tamborine Mountain, South East Queensland

The Tamborine Mt area is a popular residential and tourist area in the Gold Coast hinterland, SE Qld. The 15km2 area occurs on elevated remnant Tertiary Basalts of the Beechmont Group, which comprise a number of mappable flow units originally derived from the Tweed volcanic centre to the south. The older Albert Basalt (Tertiary), which underlies the Beechmont Basalt at the southern end of the investigation area, is thought to be derived from the Focal Peak volcanic centre to the south west. The Basalts contain a locally significant ‘un-declared’ groundwater resource, which is utilised by the Tamborine Mt community for: • domestic purposes to supplement rainwater tank supplies, • commercial scale horticulture and • commercial export off-Mountain for bottled water. There is no reticulated water supply, and all waste water is treated on-site through domestic scale WTPs. Rainforest and other riparian ecosystems that attract residents and tourist dollars to the area, are also reliant on the groundwater that discharges to springs and surface streams on and around the plateau. Issues regarding a lack of compiled groundwater information, groundwater contamination, and groundwater sustainability are being investigated by QUT, utilising funding provided by the Federal Government’s ‘Caring for our Country’ programme through SEQ Catchments Ltd. The objectives of the two year project, which started in April 2009, are to: • Characterise the nature and condition of groundwater / surface water systems in the Tamborine Mountain area in terms of the issues being raised; • Engage and build capacity within the community to source local knowledge, encourage participation, raise awareness and improve understanding of the impacts of land and water use; • Develop a stand-alone 3D Visualisation model for dissemination into the community and use as a communication tool.

The largest volcanic eruptions on Earth

Large igneous provinces (LIPs) are sites of the most frequently recurring, largest volume basaltic and silicic eruptions in Earth history. These large-volume (N1000 km3 dense rock equivalent) and large-magnitude (NM8) eruptions produce areally extensive (104–105 km2) basaltic lava flow fields and silicic ignimbrites that are the main building blocks of LIPs. Available information on the largest eruptive units are primarily from the Columbia River and Deccan provinces for the dimensions of flood basalt eruptions, and the Paraná–Etendeka and Afro-Arabian provinces for the silicic ignimbrite eruptions. In addition, three large-volume (675– 2000 km3) silicic lava flows have also been mapped out in the Proterozoic Gawler Range province (Australia), an interpreted LIP remnant. Magma volumes of N1000 km3 have also been emplaced as high-level basaltic and rhyolitic sills in LIPs. The data sets indicate comparable eruption magnitudes between the basaltic and silicic eruptions, but due to considerable volumes residing as co-ignimbrite ash deposits, the current volume constraints for the silicic ignimbrite eruptions may be considerably underestimated. Magma composition thus appears to be no barrier to the volume of magma emitted during an individual eruption. Despite this general similarity in magnitude, flood basaltic and silicic eruptions are very different in terms of eruption style, duration, intensity, vent configuration, and emplacement style. Flood basaltic eruptions are dominantly effusive and Hawaiian–Strombolian in style, with magma discharge rates of ~106–108 kg s−1 and eruption durations estimated at years to tens of years that emplace dominantly compound pahoehoe lava flow fields. Effusive and fissural eruptions have also emplaced some large-volume silicic lavas, but discharge rates are unknown, and may be up to an order of magnitude greater than those of flood basalt lava eruptions for emplacement to be on realistic time scales (b10 years). Most silicic eruptions, however, are moderately to highly explosive, producing co-current pyroclastic fountains (rarely Plinian) with discharge rates of 109– 1011 kg s−1 that emplace welded to rheomorphic ignimbrites. At present, durations for the large-magnitude silicic eruptions are unconstrained; at discharge rates of 109 kg s−1, equivalent to the peak of the 1991 Mt Pinatubo eruption, the largest silicic eruptions would take many months to evacuate N5000 km3 of magma. The generally simple deposit structure is more suggestive of short-duration (hours to days) and high intensity (~1011 kg s−1) eruptions, perhaps with hiatuses in some cases. These extreme discharge rates would be facilitated by multiple point, fissure and/or ring fracture venting of magma. Eruption frequencies are much elevated for large-magnitude eruptions of both magma types during LIP-forming episodes. However, in basaltdominated provinces (continental and ocean basin flood basalt provinces, oceanic plateaus, volcanic rifted margins), large magnitude (NM8) basaltic eruptions have much shorter recurrence intervals of 103–104 years, whereas similar magnitude silicic eruptions may have recurrence intervals of up to 105 years. The Paraná– Etendeka province was the site of at least nine NM8 silicic eruptions over an ~1 Myr period at ~132 Ma; a similar eruption frequency, although with a fewer number of silicic eruptions is also observed for the Afro- Arabian Province. The huge volumes of basaltic and silicic magma erupted in quick succession during LIP events raises several unresolved issues in terms of locus of magma generation and storage (if any) in the crust prior to eruption, and paths and rates of ascent from magma reservoirs to the surface.

Enhancing professional ethics : service-learning in teacher education

The ethical conduct of professionals has been the focus of increasing scrutiny over the past several decades as members of the public, the media, professional bodies, and legislative authorities have struggled to define ethical behaviour in times of governmental change, increasing internationalisation, globalised communications, threats of terrorism, and the challenges of developments in science and medicine (e.g., Demmke & Bossaert, 2004). National governments and transnational bodies have responded to these concerns about ethics and corruption through measures such as the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2004), Transparency International’s annual corruption index (2010) and Queensland’s Public Sector Ethics Act 1994 (Queensland Parliament 1994). Similarly, academic interest in ethics and its application across a range of domains(e.g., business, health care, social welfare, criminal justice, law, journalism, defence, environment, and media) has also increased. To illustrate, in 1993, a non-partisan, non-profit national umbrella organisation, the Australian Association for Professional and Applied Ethics, was formed following a conference concerned with the teaching of ethics (http://www.arts.unsw.edu.au./aapae/about_aapae/about_aapae.htm), while a recent review of the Excellence in Research for Australian rankings of national and international academic journals revealed that 16 journals related to ethics had received the top ratings of A* or A (Australian Research Council, 2009). In this chapter we examine professional ethics and argue, with specific reference to the context of pre-service teacher education, that Service-learning is one way of enhancing emerging professionals’ understanding of ethics.

Mechanism of p-nitrophenol adsorption from aqueous solution by HDTMA+-pillared montmorillonite : implications for water purification

HDTMA+ pillared montmorillonites were obtained by pillaring different amounts of the surfactant hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HDTMAB) into sodium montmorillonite (Na-Mt) in an aqueous solution. The optimum conditions and batch kinetics of sorption of p-nitrophenol from aqueous solutions were reported. The solu-tion pH had a very important effect on the sorption of p-nitrophenol. The maximum p-nitrophenol absorption/adsorption occurs when solution pH (7.15~7.35) is approx-imately equal to the pKa (7.16) of the p-nitrophenol ion deprotonation reaction. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that surfactant cations had been pillared into the interlayer and the p-nitrophenol affected the arrangement of surfactant. With the increased con-centration of surfactant cations, the arrangement of HDTMA+ within the clay inter-layer changes and the sorption of p-nitrophenol increases. HDTMA+ pillared mont-morillonites are more effective than Na-Mt for the adsorption of p-nitrophenol from aqueous solutions. The Langmuir, Freundlich and dual-mode sorption were tested to fit the sorption isotherms.

GCAP 2010 presentation : jams, jellybeans and the fruits of passion

In 2010 we realised that our fifth 48 hour game making competition was more than a mere event but that we were actually watching our local games industry enact a very intense process of community making and reflective practice. This presentation of our early research on the event was an invited spectacle at the Games Connect Australia Pacific Conference 2010 held at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, 14-15 October 2010. Abstract: Jams, Jellybeans and the fruit of passion: if games are about creating innovative player experience, then the place to start is how we set up game design education as an experience Authors: truna aka j.turner – Brisbane IGDA & Lubi Thomas, Mt Nebo Studios The 48 hour game making challenge has grown since it started in 2007 to accommodate 20 teams, some of the teams are professionals, some are made of people who are working in other industries, most are made of students from the various tertiary institutes around town. We still don’t quite understand why these mad people sign up for 48 hours of intense creativity just for the jelly beans we hand out as prizes but we do suspect that the space we give them and the passion they bring to the event offers those of us involved in the education side of the games industry really vital insights into what is critical and important in terms of education. The Australian games industry really needs these people, they are bright and ingenious and they make the most amazing games. But you won't get them by telling tertiary institutions what you fancy this year in terms of skills and criteria; you will get them by fostering their creativity and passion. If games are about creating innovative player experience, then the place to start is how we set up game design education as an experience.

The contribution of maize cropping in the Midwest USA to global warming: A regional estimate

Agricultural soils emit about 50% of the global flux of N2O attributable to human influence, mostly in response to nitrogen fertilizer use. Recent evidence that the relationship between N2O fluxes and N-fertilizer additions to cereal maize are non-linear provides an opportunity to estimate regional N2O fluxes based on estimates of N application rates rather than as a simple percentage of N inputs as used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). We combined a simple empirical model of N2O production with the SOCRATES soil carbon dynamics model to estimate N2O and other sources of Global Warming Potential (GWP) from cereal maize across 19,000 cropland polygons in the North Central Region (NCR) of the US over the period 1964–2005. Results indicate that the loading of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere from cereal maize production in the NCR was 1.7 Gt CO2e, with an average 268 t CO2e produced per tonne of grain. From 1970 until 2005, GHG emissions per unit product declined on average by 2.8 t CO2e ha−1 annum−1, coinciding with a stabilisation in N application rate and consistent increases in grain yield from the mid-1970’s. Nitrous oxide production from N fertilizer inputs represented 59% of these emissions, soil C decline (0–30 cm) represented 11% of total emissions, with the remaining 30% (517 Mt) from the combustion of fuel associated with farm operations. Of the 126 Mt of N fertilizer applied to cereal maize from 1964 to 2005, we estimate that 2.2 Mt N was emitted as N2O when using a non-linear response model, equivalent to 1.75% of the applied N.

Soil carbon sequestration rates and associated economic costs for farming systems of south-eastern Australia

Soil organic carbon (C) sequestration rates based on the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) methodology were combined with local economic data to simulate the economic potential for C sequestration in response to conservation tillage in the six agro-ecological zones within the Southern Region of the Australian grains industry. The net C sequestration rate over 20 years for the Southern Region (which includes discounting for associated greenhouse gases) is estimated to be 3.6 or 6.3 Mg C/ha after converting to either minimum or no-tillage practices, respectively, with no-till practices estimated to return 75% more carbon on average than minimum tillage. The highest net gains in C per ha are realised when converting from conventional to no-tillage practices in the high-activity clay soils of the High Rainfall and Wimmera agro-ecological zones. On the basis of total area available for change, the Slopes agro-ecological zone offers the highest net returns, potentially sequestering an additional 7.1 Mt C under no-tillage scenario over 20 years. The economic analysis was summarised as C supply curves for each of the 6 zones expressing the total additional C accumulated over 20 years for a price per t C sequestered ranging from zero to AU$200. For a price of $50/Mg C, a total of 427 000 Mg C would be sequestered over 20 years across the Southern Region, <5% of the simulated C sequestration potential of 9.1 Mt for the region. The Wimmera and Mid-North offer the largest gains in C under minimum tillage over 20 years of all zones for all C prices. For the no-tillage scenario, for a price of $50/Mg C, 1.74 Mt C would be sequestered over 20 years across the Southern Region, <10% of the simulated C sequestration potential of 18.6 Mt for the region over 20 years. The Slopes agro-ecological zone offers the best return in C over 20 years under no-tillage for all C prices. The Mallee offers the least return for both minimum and no-tillage scenarios. At a price of $200/Mg C, the transition from conventional tillage to minimum or no-tillage practices will only realise 19% and 33%, respectively, of the total biogeochemical sequestration potential of crop and pasture systems of the Southern Region over a 20-year period.

A Raman spectroscopic study of the mono-hydrogen phosphate mineral dorfmanite Na2(PO3OH)•2H2O – and in comparison with brushite

Aspects of the molecular structure of the mineral dorfmanite Na2(PO3OH)•2H2O were determined by Raman spectroscopy. The mineral originated from the Kedykverpakhk Mt., Lovozero, Kola Peninsula, Russia. Raman bands are assigned to the hydrogen phosphate units. The intense Raman band at 949 cm-1 and the less intense band at 866 cm-1 are assigned to the PO3 and POH stretching vibrations. Bands at 991, 1066 and 1141 cm-1 are assigned to the ν3 antisymmetric stretching modes. Raman bands at 393, 413 and 448 cm-1 and 514, 541 and 570 cm-1 are attributed to the ν2 and ν4 bending modes of the HPO4 units, respectively. Raman bands at 3373, 3443 and 3492 cm-1 are assigned to water stretching vibrations. POH stretching vibrations are identified by bands at 2904, 3080 and 3134 cm-1. Raman spectroscopy has proven very useful for the study of the structure of the mineral dorfmanite.

Impacts of traditional husbandry practices on exploitable levels of genetic diversity in cultured 'Tra' catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Sutchi catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) – known more universally by the Vietnamese name ‘Tra’ is an economically important freshwater fish in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam that constitutes an important food resource. Artificial propagation technology for Tra catfish has only recently been developed along the main branches of the Mekong River where more than 60% of the local human population participate in fishing or aquaculture. Extensive support for catfish culture in general, and that of Tra (P. hypophthalmus) in particular, has been provided by the Vietnamese government to increase both the scale of production and to develop international export markets. In 2006, total Vietnamese catfish exports reached approximately 286,602 metric tons (MT) and were valued at 736.87 $M with a number of large new export destinations being developed. Total value of production from catfish culture has been predicted to increase to approximately USD 1 billion by 2020. While freshwater catfish culture in Vietnam has a promising future, concerns have been raised about long-term quality of fry and the effectiveness of current brood stock management practices, issues that have been largely neglected to date. In this study, four DNA markers (microsatellite loci: CB4, CB7, CB12 and CB13) that were developed specifically for Tra (P. hypophthalmus) in an earlier study were applied to examine the genetic quality of artificially propagated Tra fry in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. The goals of the study were to assess: (i) how well available levels of genetic variation in Tra brood stock used for artificial propagation in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam (breeders from three private hatcheries and Research Institute of Aquaculture No2 (RIA2) founders) has been conserved; and (ii) whether or not genetic diversity had declined significantly over time in a stock improvement program for Tra catfish at RIA2. A secondary issue addressed was how genetic markers could best be used to assist industry development. DNA was extracted from fins of catfish collected from the two main branches of the Mekong River inf Vietnam, three private hatcheries and samples from the Tra improvement program at RIA2. Study outcomes: i) Genetic diversity estimates for Tra brood stock samples were similar to, and slightly higher than, wild reference samples. In addition, the relative contribution by breeders to fry in commercial private hatcheries strongly suggest that the true Ne is likely to be significantly less than the breeder numbers used; ii) in a stock improvement program for Tra catfish at RIA2, no significant differences were detected in gene frequencies among generations (FST=0.021, P=0.036>0.002 after Bonferroni correction); and only small differences were observed in alleles frequencies among sample populations. To date, genetic markers have not been applied in the Tra catfish industry, but in the current project they were used to evaluate the levels of genetic variation in the Tra catfish selective breeding program at RIA2 and to undertake genetic correlations between genetic marker and trait variation. While no associations were detected using only four loci, they analysis provided training in the practical applications of the use of molecular markers in aquaculture in general, and in Tra culture, in particular.

Factors effecting motor vehicle growth in Dhaka

Dhaka’s traffic is heterogeneous, both motorized (MT) and non-motorized (NMT) transport are common. Traffic congestion has become a part of city dwellers’ lives. This paper explores the factors for motor vehicle growth in Dhaka. The scope of the paper will be limited to literature review...

Unleashed : roadshow finale 2010 exhibition

This exhibition, as part of the Queensland Government Unlimited: Designing for the Asia Pacific Program, showcased the unleashed: queensland design on tour 2010 Exhibition and outcomes from the aligned goDesign Travelling Workshop Program for Regional Secondary School Students, delivered concurrently by the Design Institute of Australia Queensland Branch and QUT, between February and September 2010 in the six regional Queensland towns of Chinchilla, Mt Isa, Quilpie, Emerald, Gladstone and Bundaberg. Mirroring the delivery of the exhibition opening in the local gallery of each regional town, student design work produced during the workshop program was displayed alongside the award winning work of professional visual communication, interior and product designers and design students from the DIA qdos Awards Program of 2008 and 2009. The resulting linkages and connections made possible by the aligned programs, and the students’ creative product, based on their own interpretation of the local culture, environment, economy and politics of their town developed through a design process, were the subject of the exhibition, captured through photos and dialogues (digital and print format) and sketchbooks. The two programs and resulting final ‘retrospective’ exhibition, addressed the key objectives outlined in the Queensland Government Arts Queensland Design Strategy 2020 (2008-2012 Action plan), which focuses on the promotion of a better understanding of the value of good design across all of the state, by enhancing the collaboration between industry, the professional body for design, the government and the education sectors, and by providing opportunities for young people to engage in design. The exhibition highlighted the benefits for regional communities in being exposed to design exhibitions, and linking with tertiary educators and design practitioners to participate in design-based learning activities which broaden student understanding of their learning and subsequent career opportunities, by establishing a meaningful connection with real world issues of place, identity and sustainability.

goDesign travelling design workshop program for regional secondary students

goDesign Travelling Workshop Program for Regional Secondary Students was an initiative of Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and the Design Institute of Australia (DIA) Queensland Branch, which aligned with the DIA unleashed: Queensland design on tour 2010 Exhibition. It was designed be delivered by university design academics in state secondary schools in Chinchilla, Mt Isa, Quilpie, Emerald, Gladstone and Bundaberg between February and September 2010, to approximately 95 secondary students and 24 teachers from the subject areas of visual art, graphics and industrial technology and design. A talk by a visiting design practitioner whose work was displayed in the exhibition, also features in the final day of the program in each town, and student work from the workshop was displayed in the exhibition alongside the professional design work. The three-day workshop is a design immersion program for regional Queensland Secondary Schools, which responds to specific actions outlined in the Queensland Government Design Strategy 2020 to ‘Build Design Knowledge and Learning’ and ‘Foster a Design Culture’. Underpinned by a place-based approach and the integration of Dr Charles Burnette’s IDESIGN teaching model, the program gives students and teachers the opportunity to explore, analyse and reimagine their local town through a series of scaffolded problem solving activities around the theme of ‘place’. The program allows students to gain hands-on experience designing graphics, products, interior spaces and architecture to assist their local community, with the support of design professionals. Students work individually and in groups on real design problems learning sketching, making, communication, presentation and collaboration skills to improve their design process, while considering social, cultural and environmental opportunities. The program was designed to facilitate an understanding of the value of design thinking and its importance to regional communities, to give students more information about various design disciplines as career options, and provide a professional development opportunity for teachers. Advisory assistance for the program was gained through Kelvin Grove State College, Queensland Studies Authority and QMI/Manufacturing Skills Queensland Manager, Manufacturing & Engineering Gateway Schools Project.

DispoMaps

The gathering of people in everyday life is intertwined with travelling to negotiated locations. As a result, mobile phones are often used to rearrange meetings when one or more participants are late or cannot make it on time. Our research is based on the hypothesis that the provision of location data can enhance the experience of people who are meeting each other in different locations. Disposable Maps allows users to select contacts from their phone’s address book who then receive up-to-date location data. The utilisation of peer-to-peer notifications and the application of unique URLs for location storage and presentation enable location sharing whilst ensuring users’ location privacy. In contrast to other location sharing services like Google Latitude, Disposable Maps enables ad hoc location sharing to actively selected location receivers for a fixed period of time in a specific given situation.