Total arsenic accumulation in yabbies (Cherax Destructor Clark) exposed to elevated arsenic levels in Victorian gold mining areas, Australia

Arsenic is a proven carcinogen often found at high concentrations in association with gold and other heavy metals. The freshwater yabby, Cherax destructor Clark (Decapoda, Parastacidae), is a ubiquitous species native to Australia's central and eastern regions, with a growing international commercial market. However, in this region of Australia, yabby farmers often harvest organisms from old mine tailings dams with elevated environmental arsenic levels. Yabbies exposed to elevated environmental arsenic were found to accumulate and store as much as 100 μg/g arsenic in their tissues. The accumulation is proportional to the concentration of arsenic in the sediment and is high enough to be of concern for people who eat the yabbies. A comparison of arsenic levels in wild and lab-fed animals also was performed. Although there was no significant difference in the level of arsenic in the various organs of the wild animals, the animals purchased from a yabby farm showed a significantly higher arsenic concentration in their hepatopancreas (3.7 ± 0.9 μg/g) compared to other organs (0.6–1.8 μg/g). Furthermore, after a 40-d exposure to food containing 200 to 300 μg/g inorganic arsenic, arsenate (As[V])-exposed animals showed a significant increase in tissue-specific arsenic accumulation, whereas arsenite (As[III])-exposed animals showed a lower, nonsignificant increase in As uptake, primarily in the hepatopancreas. These results have important implications for yabby growers and consumers alike.

Impact of learning environment and learning context on student satisfaction : a comparative study of postgraduate students from Asia

The growth of the international education market with increasing export income has created a highly competitive environment among education providers worldwide. WTO reports that this market is now worth around $27 billion a year (Alderman, 2001) while IDP Australia has estimated an increase in the number of students seeking higher education overseas at 7.2 million by 2025. This alludes to the attractiveness of the international education market in the form of both pecuniary and non pecuniary benefits to provider nations and the higher educational institutions and hence the need for strategies to maintain a globally competitive position. This paper looks at the impact of the learning environment and the learning context on student satisfaction among international postgraduate students from Asia studying in Australian universities. The growing competition requires provider institutions to be highly responsive to the needs and aspirations of the diverse student community and to deliver services to create satisfaction and loyalty, which would be critical in sustaining a competitive position. The study, based on the expectancy-disconfirmation paradigm, and a model of post choice satisfaction in the educational setting, uses logistic regression, MANOVA, ANOVA and chi square testing, investigates factors relevant to student learning environment and the learning context to assess satisfaction levels of these students. The sample size used in the study is 371 and is drawn from a mail survey of five leading universities in Australia.

Life cycle cost analysis of silicon and organic building integrated photovoltaic systems (BiPV)

Despite the undisputed benefits associated with photovoltaic (PV) technology, the financial barrier acts as the major hurdle before it is seen as a commercial competitive form of renewable energy. Many studies have been performed outlining the life cycle energy benefits of PV technology. However, there has been limited number of studies dedicated to the life cycle cost impacts. The aim of this paper is to identify whether life cycle cost analysis is the best approach to determining the cost contributors or savings associated with this technology. This paper has been structured similarly to previous life cycle energy studies to consider the cost implications involved within each area of the products lifecycle. Amongst many new developments, traditional silicon based units have been challenged by the introduction of new organic systems; and recent studies highlight that these systems offer major cost reductions. Based on an analysis of current literature, this paper identifies that the recent growth and development of both organic and silicon based systems have had a considerable effect on the cost of PV cells. The competitive nature of the renewable energy market will also impact on a life cycle cost analysis; and any potential findings will valid for a limited timeframe.

Volatility transmissions between stock and bond markets : evidence from Japan and the U.S.

This study attempts to investigate the transmission of market-wide volatility between the equity markets and bond markets of Japan and the U.S. To measure the volatility transmission, the BEKK (Baba, Engle, Kraft and Kroner, 1990) method, a decomposition approach of the multivariate GARCH (1,1) model, is used to examine the cross-market contemporaneous effect of information arrival. The time series analysis provides evidence to the long-run phenomena of causality in conditional variances of paired assets within the local and international markets. Within various pairings, some evidence of bi-directional volatility transmissions such as informational linkages have been observed. Our empirical results suggest that within the domestic cross markets, the volatility transmission is unidirectional from the stock market to the bond market. Evidence from international cross-market analysis is mixed, with strong evidence on volatility spillover among these international stock markets, but weak evidence between international stock and bond markets. In addition, there are significant directional volatility transmissions between DJI index and FTSE100 index, and between DJI index and DAX200 index. The volatility transmission between these two markets indicates that the international diversification of bonds is not prevalent.

Examining performance of aggregation algorithms for neural network-based electricity demand forecasting

The aim of this research is to examine the efficiency of different aggregation algorithms to the forecasts obtained from individual neural network (NN) models in an ensemble. In this study an ensemble of 100 NN models are constructed with a heterogeneous architecture. The outputs from NN models are combined by three different aggregation algorithms. These aggregation algorithms comprise of a simple average, trimmed mean, and a Bayesian model averaging. These methods are utilized with certain modifications and are employed on the forecasts obtained from all individual NN models. The output of the aggregation algorithms is analyzed and compared with the individual NN models used in NN ensemble and with a Naive approach. Thirty-minutes interval electricity demand data from Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and the New York Independent System Operator's web site (NYISO) are used in the empirical analysis. It is observed that the aggregation algorithm perform better than many of the individual NN models. In comparison with the Naive approach, the aggregation algorithms exhibit somewhat better forecasting performance.

An examination of the joint venture market entry option in China : a case study of an Australian company's international marketing experience in China

There is a widely held view in the literature that foreign companies looking to invest in the China market should opt for joint ventures rather than wholly foreign-owned enterprises for many reasons, ranging from a smaller capital commitment to utilising the market knowledge of local Chinese partners. This paper examines this issue in the light of the experience of the Foster's Brewing Group which established three joint ventures in China only to reject this form of market entry option within a few years. The paper looks at some of the reasons behind Foster's rejection of the joint venture option and proposes some key guidelines that foreign companies should follow if they are to successfully establish joint ventures in China.

Costco and the Aussie shopper : a case study of the market entry of an international retailer

Retailing is a globalised industry, yet retailers must respond to local shopping habits if they are to be perceived as legitimate by the host country customers. However, some retailers may be unable or unwilling to respond to all customer requirements. Costco, the membership warehouse club retailer, has been successful in its international expansion efforts, establishing its first Australian store in Melbourne in 2009. In the first 12 months of operation, the store became one of Costco's top five stores in the world. We investigated this success by focussing on the customer and used institutional theory to analyse what concessions were made by the customer and the company. Data were collected from consumer interviews, site visits and secondary media and industry sources. Analysis revealed negotiations based on the rejection, acceptance or adaptation of the regulative, normative and cultural cognitive aspects of the Australian shopper and the Costco business model. Customers made concessions to accommodate the new business model, and Costco responded to entrenched Australian shopping habits. This case is the first to explore the outcome of retail internationalisation from the customers' perspective, revealing the concept of mutual concessions. The interaction and subsequent adaptation by both customer and retailer have resulted in the institutionalisation of new shopping norms in the host country and success for the international retailer.

Energy efficiency rating systems for housing : an Australian perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine current trends in energy efficiency ratings and consider their likely impact on the Australian housing market.

Design/methodology/approach – The research is yet to be conducted; however a mixed method is proposed which is grounded on the theoretical model of consumer behaviour within housing markets. This model has been tested and demonstrated to be useful in predicting buyer behaviour.

Findings – Established theories of buyer perception indicate the introduction of energy efficiency rating systems will have an effect on the level of house prices.

Research limitations/implications – This research is focussed on housing in Australia but also has implications for other global housing markets which are addressing sustainability.

Practical implications – Outputs of this research have implications for policy makers, real estate agents and valuers.

Social implications – Increasing energy costs is likely to restructure the way housing markets operate with regard to sustainability and energy efficiency rating systems and also how they are understood.

Originality/value – This research will be in the Australian context utilising international modeling. As mandatory energy efficiency ratings have not been introduced, this research will be original.

International education, the formation of capital and graduate employment : Chinese accounting graduates’ experiences of the Australian labour market

Since the late 1970s, international education has steadily gained in popularity in China.An emerging middle class seeks to strengthen its position in China’s rapidly stratifyingsociety under its socialist market economy with the shift from wealth creation for all towealth concentration for a few. Previously, a foreign qualification was considered apassport to success in either the host or home country’s labour market. But the growingpopularity of overseas study, coupled with the massification of the Chinese highereducation, means Chinese international students are seeking to distinguish themselvesin an increasingly competitive global labour market. This longitudinal study of internationalgraduates, backgrounded by Australian employer perceptions, examines thejourneys of 13 Chinese accounting graduates as they attempt to transition from anAustralian university into the Australian labour market. Bourdieu’s thinking tools offield, capital, disposition and habitus are utilised to consider how different cultural,social and linguistic capitals inform employer understandings of ‘employability’ meantChinese accounting graduates significantly adjusted their life goals.

The next step in energy rating: the international ETTV method vs. BCA Section-J glazing calculator

The most important prevention in minimizing energy transfer in commercial buildings is the treatment of glazing in the building facade. In a commercial building, while the impacts of roof, walls and floors on the overall heating and cooling loads of the building have low effects, glazing is likely to be the most important factor. This paper investigates the BCA Section-J glazing calculator and the ETTV (Envelope Thermal Transfer Value) methods and tries to look for differences as well as similarities in calculation of building envelopes energy performance. For this investigation, a hypothetical high-rise commercial building in Melbourne, Australia is considered when evaluating the energy performance of the envelope through these two methods. Both methods consider the U-Value of glass and wall materials as well as Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) and Shading Coefficient (SC) of the glass. Findings in this research project indicate differences and significant discrepancies between the BCA Section-J and ETTV methods in evaluating the energy performance of commercial building façades. Issues of calculation weaknesses are identified with the lack of air leakage and infiltration of a particular façade design or window to wall ratio (WWR). Suggestions have been made where improvement to the overall energy calculation through facades of a commercial building is needed.