North-East elevation, Lake Weyba House, Sunshine Coast

Bedroom pavilion on left, bath house pavilion centre and main pavilion on right.

North-East elevation, Lake Weyba House, Sunshine Coast

As seen from East, looking along pavilions. Bedroom pavilion and day bed alcove in foreground.

Internal cladding to north-east facade, Mooloomba House, Point Lookout, North Stradbroke Island

View of internal cladding to north-east facade as seen from dining studio.

Batten screen to north-east elevation, Sunshine Coast University Library, Maroochydore

View of timber batten screen to north-east elevation with verandah behind.

North-east verandah connection, Sunshine Coast University Library, Maroochydore

View of underside of verandah corrugated steel roofing, polycarbonate sheeting and north-east glass and floor connection.

North-east corner elevation, Sunshine Coast University Library, Maroochydore

View to north-east corner elevation, with entrance stair and timber batten screen to verandah.

Timber batten screen to north-east elevation, Sunshine Coast University Library, Maroochydore

View of timber batten screen to verandah behind and entrance stair, as seen from exterior.

Batten screen to north-east elevation, Sunshine Coast University Library, Maroochydore

View of timber batten screen to north-east elevation with verandah behind.

Infusing the use of seasonal climate forecasting into crop management practice in North East Australia using discussion support software

Seasonal climate forecasting offers potential for improving management of crop production risks in the cropping systems of NE Australia. But how is this capability best connected to management practice? Over the past decade, we have pursued participative systems approaches involving simulation-aided discussion with advisers and decision-makers. This has led to the development of discussion support software as a key vehicle for facilitating infusion of forecasting capability into practice. In this paper, we set out the basis of our approach, its implementation and preliminary evaluation. We outline the development of the discussion support software Whopper Cropper, which was designed for, and in close consultation with, public and private advisers. Whopper Cropper consists of a database of simulation output and a graphical user interface to generate analyses of risks associated with crop management options. The charts produced provide conversation pieces for advisers to use with their farmer clients in relation to the significant decisions they face. An example application, detail of the software development process and an initial survey of user needs are presented. We suggest that discussion support software is about moving beyond traditional notions of supply-driven decision support systems. Discussion support software is largely demand-driven and can compliment participatory action research programs by providing cost-effective general delivery of simulation-aided discussions about relevant management actions. The critical role of farm management advisers and dialogue among key players is highlighted. We argue that the discussion support concept, as exemplified by the software tool Whopper Cropper and the group processes surrounding it, provides an effective means to infuse innovations, like seasonal climate forecasting, into farming practice. Crown Copyright (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing the influence and distribution of shrimp pond effluent in a tidal mangrove creek in north-east Australia

Effluent from a land based shrimp farm was detected in a receiving creek as changes in physical, chemical and biological parameters. The extent and severity of these changes depended on farm operations. This assessment was conducted at three different stages of shrimp-pond maturity, including (1) when the ponds were empty, (2) full and (3) being harvested. Methods for assessing farm effluent in receiving waters included physical/chemical analyses of the water column, phytoplankton bioassays and nitrogen isotope signatures of marine flora. Comparisons were made with an adjacent creek that served as the farms intake creek and did not directly receive effluent. Physical/chemical parameters identified distinct changes in the receiving creek with respect to farm operations. Elevated water column NH4+ (18.5+/-8.0 muM) and chlorophyll a concentrations (5.5+/-1.9 mug/l) were measured when the farm was in operation, in contrast to when the farm was inactive (1.3+/-0.3 muM and 1.2+/-0.6 mug/l, respectively). At all times, physically chemical parameters at the mouth of the effluent creek, were equivalent to control values, indicating effluent was contained within the effluent-receiving creek. However, elevated delta(15)N signatures of mangroves (up to similar to8parts per thousand) and macroalgae (up to similar to5parts per thousand) indicated a broader influence of shrimp farm effluent, extending to the lower regions of the farms intake creek. Bioassays at upstream sites close to the location of farm effluent discharge indicated that phytoplankton at these sites did not respond to further nutrient additions, however downstream sites showed large growth responses. This suggested that further nutrient loading from the shrimp farm, resulting in greater nutrient dispersal, will increase the extent of phytoplankton blooms downstream from the site of effluent discharge. When shrimp ponds were empty water quality in the effluent and intake creeks was comparable. This indicated that observed elevated nutrient and phytoplankton concentrations were directly attributable to farm operations. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of an accident and emergency teleconsultation service for north-east Scotland

We evaluated an accident and emergency teleconsultation service provided to 14 community hospitals in north-east Scotland. Each community hospital was equipped with a videoconferencing system and a document camera to allow transmission of radiographs. The network used 384 kbit/s ISDN connections. A total of 1392 teleconsultations were recorded during a 12-month study period. Seventy-seven per cent of patients (n=1072) were managed locally and 23% (n=320) were transferred to Aberdeen. The majority (95%) of teleconsultations were conducted on weekdays, and 90% of these occurred between the hours of 09:00 and 16:00. The mean delay in contacting a doctor was 9 min and the mean consultation time was 10 min. The majority of patients were suffering from fractures or suspected fractures of the limbs. Radiograph transmission was used in 75% of all teleconsultations. A high degree of satisfaction was recorded by all users of the service.

Carpal glands in feral pigs (Sus domesticus) in tropical lowland rainforest in north-east Queensland, Australia

Carpal glands (CG) of 105 feral pigs Sus domesticus, caught in the tropical lowland rainforest in northeast Queensland, Australia, between 1999 and 2004, were investigated to examine their function in chemical communication between animals, and their histology. Female feral pigs show significantly larger CG on the right leg than on the left leg while there were no side-specific differences in males. CG on both legs were significantly larger in reproductive than in non-reproductive females, but they did not differ between pregnant and lactating females. The results suggest that CG are involved in the defensive behaviour of reproductive females but not in the identification of the mother by piglets. The area of the left CG was significantly bigger in males compared to females, but no significant difference could be shown for the CG on the right legs. CG of same-aged boars did not change significantly in size throughout the year while females showed smaller CG on the left leg in January and February suggesting that CG may be involved in intra-matriarchal group communication, Same sized and aged boars did not show any correlations between the size of the CG and the weight of their testes and the serum levels of testosterone. These results suggest that CG are not involved in advertising dominance in boars. The histological investigation of CG showed that they are active in feral pigs in the lowland rainforest, consist mainly of apocrine tissue and that their hairs may play a role in distributing secretion.