Residency and spatial use by reef sharks of an isolated seamount and its implications for conservation

Although marine protected areas (MPAs) are a common conservation strategy, these areas are often designed with little prior knowledge of the spatial behaviour of the species they are designed to protect. Currently, the Coral Sea area and its seamounts (north-east Australia) are under review to determine if MPAs are warranted. The protection of sharks at these seamounts should be an integral component of conservation plans. Therefore, knowledge on the spatial ecology of sharks at the Coral Sea seamounts is essential for the appropriate implementation of management and conservation plans. Acoustic telemetry was used to determine residency, site fidelity and spatial use of three shark species at Osprey Reef: whitetip reef sharks Triaenodon obesus, grey reef sharks Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos and silvertip sharks Carcharhinus albimarginatus. Most individuals showed year round residency at Osprey Reef, although five of the 49 individuals tagged moved to the neighbouring Shark Reef (∼14 km away) and one grey reef shark completed a round trip of ∼250 km to the Great Barrier Reef. Additionally, individuals of white tip and grey reef sharks showed strong site fidelity to the areas they were tagged, and there was low spatial overlap between groups of sharks tagged at different locations. Spatial use at Osprey Reef by adult sharks is generally restricted to the north-west corner. The high residency and limited spatial use of Osprey Reef suggests that reef sharks would be highly vulnerable to targeted fishing pressure and that MPAs incorporating no-take of sharks would be effective in protecting reef shark populations at Osprey and Shark Reef.

Adoption vs. usage of interactive white board technology by teachers in higher education institutions

This research investigates teaching faculty’s adoption and usage of Interactive White Board Technology (IWBT) in teaching in UAE University (UAEU). The research extended the technological innovation theories and proposed a model made of different contexts. The research model was partially supported and highlighted interesting insights pertaining to adoption and usage of IWBT in teaching. Contrasting findings pertaining to the same factors across adoption and usage proved to be both insightful as well as challenging at the same time. Implications arising from significant and insignificant factors lead to a conclusion that IWBT is evolving in UAEU. The research discusses theoretical as well as professional contributions and implications emerging and portrays different research areas in this field.

Variation in the whiteness and brightness of white Australian cashmere associated with farm of origin and fibre attributes

While white cashmere is preferred by processors, its whiteness and brightness is affected by country of origin, amino acid composition, nutrition and cashmere production of goats. This work aimed to quantify the factors which affect the whiteness and brightness of 36 batches of processed Australian white cashmere sourced from nine different farms. The cashmere was tested for tristimulus values brightness (Y) and whiteness, as measured by yellowness (Y-Z). Linear models, relating Y and Y-Z were fitted to farm of origin and other objective measurements. Mean attributes (range) were: mean fibre diameter, 16.9 µm (13.9–20.4 μm); fibre curvature, 45°/mm (31–59°/mm); clean washing yield, 91.3% (79.5–97.3%); Y, 78.7 (74.7–82.2); Y-Z, 11.9 (10.3–13.6). Farm alone accounted for 72% of the variation in Y and 65% of the variation in Y-Z (P < 0.001). Once farm had been taken into account only fibre curvature (P = 0.003) was significant in predicting Y and only clean washing yield (P = 0.047) affected Y-Z. Neither the proportion of the fleece present as guard hair (clean cashmere yield) nor cashmere staple length was a significant determinant of Y or Y-Z. For each 10°/mm increase in fibre curvature Y increased 1.3 units. For each 10% increase in clean washing yield Y-Z declined 0.9 units. Variations in Y and Y-Z among farms were probably related to differences in geographic and climatic conditions and were significantly correlated to cashmere production. The effect of clean washing yield was probably related to a reduction in suint content.

Differences between 9-11 year old British Pakistani and White British girls in physical activity and behavior during school recess

Background School recess provides an important opportunity for children to engage in physical activity. Previous studies indicate that children and adults of South Asian origin are less active than other ethnic groups in the United Kingdom, but have not investigated whether activity differs within the shared school environment. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that British Pakistani girls aged 9–11 years are less active during recess than White British girls.

Methods In Study One, the proportion of recess spent by 137 White British (N = 70) and British Pakistani (N = 67) girls in sedentary behavior, moderate-to-vigorous activity (MVPA) and vigorous activity (VPA) was determined using accelerometry. In Study Two, 86 White British (N = 48) and British Pakistani (N = 38) girls were observed on the playground using the System for Observing Children’s Activity and Relationships during Play (SOCARP). Accelerometry data were collected during observations to allow identification of activities contributing to objectively measured physical activity.

Results Accelerometry data indicated that British Pakistani girls spent 2.2% (95% CI: 0.2, 4.3) less of their total recess time in MVPA and 1.3% (95% CI: 0.2, 2.4) less in VPA than White British girls. Direct observation showed that British Pakistani girls spent 12.0% (95% CI: 2.9, 21.1) less playground time being very active, and 12.3% (95% CI: 1.7, 23.0) less time playing games. Time spent being very active according to direct observation data correlated significantly with accelerometer-assessed time spent in MVPA and VPA, and time spent playing games correlated significantly with accelerometer-assessed time spent in VPA, suggesting that differences in behavior observed in Study Two may have contributed to the differences in time spent in MVPA and VPA in Study One.

Conclusions British Pakistani girls were less active than White British girls during school recess. Recess has been identified as a potentially important target for the delivery of physical activity interventions; such interventions should consider ways in which the activity levels of British Pakistani girls could be increased.

Race to the White House

Welcome to part four of our Race to the White House podcast series.

Each week we’ll be talking to Australia’s top US experts on the ins and outs of the 2012 US presidential campaign.

This week, Binoy Kampmark and Geoff Robinson discuss Syria, drones, and Mitt Romney’s flagging campaign.

White cargo : Australian residents, trade and colonialism in Shanghai between the wars

This article follows Australians who went to treaty ports in China in the 1920s and 1930s to find work. By 1932 there were so many Australians in Shanghai that the British government asked Prime Minister Joseph Lyons to issue an official warning dissuading Australians from travelling there for employment. One result of this migration was the generation of files on Australians in the Special Branch’ surveillance files of the Shanghai Municipal Police (SMP) archives. Using these files, as well as Chinese language newspapers circulating in Shanghai at the time, this article examines links between Australians in Depression-era Shanghai and the development of Chinese anti-colonialism. It also suggests that reports on Australian behaviour in treaty port China in Australian newspapers recast the ways in which some Australians understood inter-colonial exchanges. Much is known about Australian attitudes to Asia in the first half of the twentieth century. Little, however, has been written about how Asian populations viewed Australians. The Shanghai Municipal Police files provide one register through which these viewpoints can be excavated.