Involvement of rootstocks and their hydraulic conductance in the drought resistance of grafted rubber trees

Improving drought resistance of rubber trees has become a pressing issue with the extension of rubber plantations and the prevalence of seasonal drought. Root system is vital to water and nutrients uptake of all plants, therefore, rootstocks could play decisive roles in drought resistance of grafted rubber trees on a specific scion clone. To investigate the responses of different clone rootstocks and their grafted trees to water stress and find applicable methods for selecting drought resistant rootstocks, seven related parameters and root hydraulic properties of both seeds originated and grafted saplings of PB86, PR107, RRIM600 and GT1 were measured to assess their drought resistance. It was shown that the rootstock drought resistance and root hydraulic conductance may improve the drought resistance of the grafted rubber trees. Among the four clone rootstocks, GT1, which demonstrated more resistant to drought and higher root hydraulic conductance, was comparatively resistant to drought both for the seed propagation seedlings and grafted saplings. In addition, studies on the grafted saplings with different root hydraulic conductance further validated the possibility of selecting drought resistant rootstocks on the basis of rootstock hydraulic conductance using a high-pressure flow meter.

Drought-rainfall cycles as potential environmental drivers of fowl plague and Newcastle disease uutbreaks in Australian poultry

Climatic conditions in Australia are erratic and characterised by periods of intense rainfall followed by periods of intense drought. This has considerable impact on the population dynamics and ecology of many Australian species of waterfowl, which are thought to form the reservoir of avian influenza viruses (AIV) but may also be important carriers (and possibly reservoirs) of other diseases (e.g. bursal disease, Newcastle disease). During the wet, waterfowl numbers increase with many serologically naive juveniles entering the population. During the subsequent period of drought, bird densities increase in the few remaining wetlands. We hypothesise that it is during this period of increasing densities of naive birds that the population’s viral prevalence of some infectious diseases may increase dramatically. Indeed, there exists a remarkable and suggestive coincidence between outbreaks of fowl plaque and Newcastle disease in Australian poultry farms and the periods of drought following a very wet period. In other words, we suspect a link between increased risk for disease outbreaks in poultry farms and the hypothesised high in the prevalences of the viruses causing these diseases in waterfowl. Given that poultry farms may provide ideal conditions for development of high-pathogenic strains, there is also a reciprocal risk for wildlife involved during these periods.

Green revelations in a country of drought, flood and fire : a case study of Abrahamic faith communities and sustainability

This paper reports research into the levels of awareness and engagement of Abrahamic communities regarding environmental sustainability in the State of Victoria, Australia. Seventeen faith groups were targeted for study at 22 locations throughout Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne; with 15 in-depth interviews completed. The study suggests that personal awareness does not always translate well into group action, resulting in conflicting positions within denominations on how to respond to environmental issues. Some denominations have funding and human resources to support environmental programs. Smaller groups struggle to maintain numbers, are trying to expand, or do not participate because of fundamentally different worldviews.

Men in social work : challenging or reproducing an unequal gender regime?

This article is concerned with the reproduction of gender inequality in social work and the extent to which the presence of men in the profession challenges discriminatory processes and occupational segregation. Although it is argued that men need to take more responsibility for caring roles in professions like social work, many of the rationales for encouraging more men to enter social work are unlikely to support alternative masculinities that will challenge gender inequalities. Only a profeminist commitment informing antisexist practices will enable men to address gender inequality in social work.

Exchange rate regime choice : some determinants and consequences

This thesis establishes that exchange rate regime choice is persistent for low-income and high-income countries. It also confirms the crucial role of capital account openness, financial development and product diversification as possible determinants of regime choice. Moreover, the thesis provides strong evidence that exchange rate regime influences fiscal discipline directly and through interaction with trade openness.

Regime dependent causality : equity and credit markets

We apply a Markov switching model to investigate the possibility of an asymmetric causal relationship between the volatility process inferred from the iTraxx CDS options market and the implied volatility from the stock index options market. We find strong evidence that the stock market leads the CDS market and the effect of the implied stock market volatility is more significant during the volatile regime. We also find that a large jump in the stock return, up or down, may indeed be followed by a regime shift.

Regime change in Australian maternity hospitals

Contemporary attempts to ‘organise’ risk and manage uncertainty are remaking many ‘industrial-era’ institutions – including maternity hospitals. Health policies are encouraging a shift away from hierarchical, medically dominated structures towards new governance systems and ‘women-centred’ care, often led by midwives. To understand the resulting contestation, in this article we argue for a wider conceptual frame than a focus on neo-liberal state regulation of the professions. We utilise theories of the ‘second modernity’, in particular those concerning socio-cultural changes associated with shifts in risk regimes, to interpret findings from qualitative research studies undertaken in Australian maternity hospitals. Whereas analysis confined to macro or institutional levels emphasises stability and hegemony, we demonstrate that when cultural and interactional levels are examined, considerable fluidity and uncertainty in the identification and negotiation of risk is evident, resulting in new work practices with inevitable shifts in professional identities and allegiances.