Embedded in the land: customary social relations and practices of resilience in an East Timorese community

Drawing on a case study of Cacavei, a rural subsistence community in Timor-Leste, this article explores the mutually constitutive relationship between people and land within customary forms of society. Patterns of land use and connection to land are not simply reflective of genealogical modes of social organisation, but are also enabling of them. Particularly, the embedding of ancestors within the land offers a means of accessing kinship relationships beyond the genealogical present. Embeddedness provides a quality of embodiment that makes ancestors active participants in social life. Constituted in the relational nexus of people and land, forms of social organisation in Cacavei have a mutability which goes some way to explaining the community’s resilience in spite of forced displacement and cultural disruption during the period of Indonesian occupation. This mutability might be considered more broadly as a source of resilience for customary communities grappling with modernising processes of change.

Adsorption and desorption characteristics of fluoride in the calcareous and siliceous sand sheet aquifers of south-west Victoria, Australia

This study assessed the sustainability of utilising groundwater systems to manage an aluminium smelters fluoridated trade wastewater stream. Replacing ocean discharge of the wastewater with land irrigation is one option. Using a groundwater model (developed using MODFLOW incorporating parameter estimation software (PEST-ASP)), we found that most of the groundwater flow takes place through surface sands. Fluoride is adsorbed in these sands during the drier summer months, but desorption is rapid when winter rain flushes the aquifer. Underlying clays and other layers prevent significant contamination of the deeper aquifer.

Prospective observational study of emergent endotracheal intubation practice in the intensive care unit and emergency department of an Australian regional tertiary hospital

Objective: The present study aimed to describe the characteristics and outcomes of intubation occurring in the ICU and ED of an Australian tertiary teaching hospital. Methods: This was a prospective observational study of intubation practice across the Geelong Hospital over a 6 month period from 1 August 2012 to 31 January 2013. Data were entered by the intubating team through an online data collection form. Results: There were 119 patients intubated and 134 attempts at intubation in the ED and ICU over a 6 month period. The first-pass success rate was 104/119 (87.4%), and all but a single patient was intubated by the second attempt. Propofol, fentanyl, midazolam and suxamethonium were the most common drugs used in rapid sequence induction. AEs were reported in 44/134 (32.8%) of intubation attempts, with transient hypoxia and hypotension being the most common. A significant adverse outcome, namely aspiration pneumonitis, occurred in one patient. There were no peri-intubation deaths. Conclusion: The majority of airways are managed by ICU and ED consultants and trainees, with success rates and AE rates comparable with other published studies. © 2014 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

Inflation tax in the lab: a theoretical and experimental study of competitive search equilibrium with inflation

In this paper we measure the effect of the inflation tax on economic activity and welfare within a controlled setting.To do so,we develop a model of price posting and monetary exchange with inflation and finite populations.The model,which provides a game–theoreticfoundation to Rocheteau and Wright(2005)'s competitive search monetary equilibrium, is used to derive theoretical propositions regarding the effects of inflation in thisenvironment, which we test with a laboratory experiment that closely implements the theoretical framework.We find that the inflation tax is harmful – with cash holdings, production and welfare all falling as inflation rises – and that its effect is relatively larger at low inflation rates than at higher rates.For instance,for inflation rates between 0%and5%, welfare in the two markets we consider (2[seller] 2[buyer] and 3 2) falls by roughly 1 percent for each percentage–point rise in inflation, compared with 0.4 percent over the range from 5% to 30%.Our findings lead us to conclude that the impact of the inflation tax should not be underestimated, even under low inflation.

Rethinking difference in the iWorld: possibilities, challenges and ‘unexpected consequences’ of digital tools in literacy education

Within contemporary literacy classrooms, mobile touchscreen devices are occupying a more prominent place. For children who have disabilities or learning differences, such devices can offer increased participation and access and may also provide social capital to users. We share examples of how iPads and iPods were successfully used in classrooms by children who might be categorized as experiencing various challenges, as well as autobiographical examples we have experienced as parents of children with disabilities. Through these illustrations, we examine the possibilities of ‘new tools’ as well as challenges encountered in changing existing literacy practices.

IFHTSE Global 21: heat treatment and surface engineering in the twenty-first century: Part 11 – survey of the heat treatment and surface engineering industry in Argentina at the beginning of the twenty-first century

Heat treatment and surface engineering are enabling technologies for modern industry in technologically developed countries. However, the technical requirements of industry in the developing countries, and particularly in Argentina, are often not so demanding. This article is an attempt to reflect the current status of heat treatment and surface engineering in Argentina at the beginning of the twenty-first century, particularly in terms of available technology and human resources. Emphasis is also given to the future prospects of this area of engineering.