The influence of stocking rate and mixed grazing of Angora goats and Merino sheep on animal and pasture production in southern Australia. 4. Gastrointestinal parasitism

Gastrointestinal nematodes limit the growth, production and welfare of goats but there are few reliable sources of information for recommending management practices across flocks. The effects of animal species (Angora goat, Merino sheep, mixed-grazed goats and mixed-grazed sheep at the ratio of 1:1) and stocking rate (SR: 7.5, 10, 12.5 animals/ha) on gastrointestinal parasitism were determined in a replicated experiment on improved annual temperate pastures in southern Australia, from 1981 to 1984. Detailed monitoring of gastrointestinal nematodes was undertaken on animals before, during (five times per year) and at the conclusion of studies using faecal strongyle egg counts (WEC) and total worm counts. Sheep had a greater proportion of nematodes as Teladorsagia spp. and goats a greater incidence of Trichostrongylus spp. Both goats and sheep developed resistance to Nematodirus spp. during the experiment. WEC was similar in goats and sheep at the start of the experimental period but, thereafter, was consistently greater in goats than in sheep. While WEC was highly related to total worm count, the regressions for sheep and goats were different. Increasing the SR increased the WEC of goats and mixed-grazed goats but not of sheep. During the experiment, WEC declined at 7 and 10 animals/ha but increased at 12.5/ha. Mixed grazing with goats provided beneficial effects for sheep at all stocking rates, but the effects for goats were dependent on the stocking rate, being beneficial at 7.5 and 10/ha but harmful at 12.5/ha. The WEC of separately grazed goats were generally higher than the WEC of mixed grazed goats. The WEC of mixed sheep were lower than those of separately grazed sheep. During the experiment, the WEC of mixed grazed sheep declined faster than the WEC of separately grazed sheep but the WEC of separately grazed goats at 12.5/ha and of mixed grazed goats at 10 and 12.5/ha increased. Under the environmental and pastoral conditions examined, Angora wether goats should not be grazed at SR above those recommended for wether sheep. In the present study, the impact of gastrointestinal-nematode infections in goats was reduced at lower SR. Further, mixed grazing of Angora wether goats with wether sheep at or below the recommended SR resulted in reduced gastrointestinal parasitism for both sheep and goats, compared with monospecific grazing conditions. Goats did not represent a gastrointestinal-nematode hazard to sheep. © 2014 CSIRO.

Improving the accessibility of health services in urban and regional settings for indigenous people

Accessible health services are those that are physically available, affordable (economic accessibility), appropriate and acceptable. Health services can be inaccessible if providers do not acknowledge and respect cultural factors, physical barriers and economic barriers, or if the community is not aware of available services.There are many strategies for successfully improving Indigenous access to urban and regional health services. Individual service providers need to consult with their local community to identify the specific issues relating to their context and selectively adapt the strategies outlined in this report.

Supporting healthy communities through sports and recreation programs

There is some evidence, in the form of critical descriptions of programs and systematic reviews, on the benefits to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities from participation in sport and recreational programs. These include some improvements in school retention, attitudes towards learning, social and cognitive skills, physical and mental health and wellbeing; increased social inclusion and cohesion; increased validation of and connection to culture; and crime reduction.Although the effects of sports and recreation programs can be powerful and transformative, these effects tend to be indirect. For example, using these programs to reduce juvenile antisocial behaviour largely work through diversion, providing alternative safe opportunities to risk taking, maintenance of social status, as wellas opportunities to build healthy relationships with Elders and links with culture.Although Indigenous Australians have lower rates of participation in sport than non-Indigenous people, surveys suggest that around one-third of Indigenous people participate in some sporting activity (ABS 2010). That makes sports a potentially powerful vehicle for encouraging Indigenous communities to look at challenging personal and community issues.Within Indigenous communities, a strong component of sport and recreation is the link with traditional culture. Cultural activities such as hunting are generally more accepted as a form of sport and recreation than traditional dance. Therefore sport and recreation are integral in understanding ‘culture’ within Indigenous communities, as well as highlighting the culture within which sport and recreation operate.

Improving Indigenous Access to Early Childhood Services in Urban and Regional Areas

The literature on how to improve Indigenous access to early childhood services consists mainly of program descriptions and documented practice experience, with a limited number of formal program evaluations. Accessible early childhood services fulfil four overlapping dimensions. They are physically accessible; economically accessible (affordable); appropriate (comprehensive and non-discriminatory); and acceptable (respect and acknowledge culture).The literature suggests that there are five types of barriers to accessible early childhood services: individual; program; provider; social and neighbourhood; and cultural.It is not sufficient to just improve access—engagement strategies are also necessary to get families involved in the services that may benefit them.

Chinese international students in Australia: an insight into their help and information seeking manners

Understanding the waysthatinternational students seek information and help in the host country is essential forimprovingacademic, social, cultural,and welfare support for this student cohort. However,there is a dearth of literature that documentshowinternational studentsin the vocational education and training (VET) sector do so. This paper aims to fill thisgap. Based on in-depth interviews with 30 Chinese international students undertaking diploma and associate degree programsin Australia,this research shows thatthe ways in which Chinese international students seek help prior to their departure and after their arrival at the host country, largely dependson the nature of the issuesthey confront. The data also reveals that students’use of education agents is not limited to the pre-departure stage,asisindicated in theexisting literature, but throughout their journey in the host country. Notably,the role of agents has become increasingly important in Chinese international students’ decision-making processesduring their transition from diploma to associate degree and higher education programs.

Uses of management control and performance measurement systems by Deans and Heads in Australian universities: their effects on research, teaching and networking capabilities

Invoking a resource-based view (RBV), this study investigates relationships between management control systems (MCSs) use, including information use from performance measurement systems (PMSs), and organisational capabilities in the context of academic units of Australian universities. Increased competition and attention to distinctive capabilities amongst universities, particularly at their strategic operating unit level of a Faculty1 or School2, provides the setting for application of this theoretic perspective. Based on a questionnaire survey of all Faculty Deans and Heads of Schools in all 39 universities in Australia, evidence is provided on relationships between diagnostic and interactive use of MCSs, attention given to imposed and discretionary types of PMS information, the strength of capabilities of the academic unit and, in turn, overall performance of the academic unit. Highlights of findings are that Heads/Deans conceived capabilities of their unit in functional dimensions, not in generic dimensions as found in prior literature; interactive MCS use and imposed performance measures, respectively, direct relate to several types of capabilities and indirectly to performance of the academic unit, but diagnostic MCS use does not. The findings have practical implications for styles of control systems use and performance information use by management in universities.

Online scams and fraud: Australians lose over $90 million in 2014

According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Australians gave more than $90 million to scammers in 2014, which is a slight increase on the 2013 figures. And while dating and romance scams still make up a large proportion of the fraud being committed, the most complaints to the ACCC are related to advance fee fraud – those scams where you receive a message from someone who needs your help to get money out of a foreign bank account.

Individual prevention courses for occupational skin diseases: changes in and relationships between proximal and distal outcomes

BACKGROUND: To treat people with occupational contact dermatitis, the German Accident Prevention and Insurance Association in the Health and Welfare Services offers 2-day individual prevention (IP) seminars. OBJECTIVES: We investigated whether there are short-term and medium-term changes in proximal (e.g. behaviour) and distal (e.g. symptoms) outcomes after an IP seminar, whether changes in proximal outcomes are associated with changes in distal outcomes, and whether subgroups can be identified that benefit in particular. PATIENTS/MATERIALS/METHODS: In a prospective study, 502 participants of 85 IP courses completed the health education impact questionnaire (heiQ™) and skin symptom questionnaire (Skindex-29) at the start of the course, immediately thereafter, and after 6 months. Change was assessed according to standardized effect size. Regression techniques were used to analyse associations between proximal and distal outcomes. RESULTS: After 6 months, participants showed improved self-management skills and preventive behaviour, and less fear of job loss, disease-related symptoms, and emotional distress. Significant associations between proximal and distal outcomes were found. Participants who felt more limited by their skin disease showed greater effects. CONCLUSIONS: The results are consistent with the assumption that IP courses provide a range of benefits for people with occupational contact dermatitis. Changes in distal outcomes may be influenced by changes in proximal outcomes.

Popular imperialism, Scottish identity, and William Wallace in an Australian colonial city

The narrative of William Wallace holds a prominent position in the current conception of England as a negative referent for Scotland’s national identity—its binary “Other”, against which Wallace valiantly fought. This article considers a contrasting understanding of Scottish national identity from the late-nineteenth century, and explores the events surrounding the unveiling of a statue of William Wallace in Australia during the year of 1889. It illuminates how settlers interpreted this national hero in such a way that demonstrated loyalty to the Union and Empire, and accommodated a convergence of English, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh migrants in a British colonial city. The article highlights how statues, the ceremonies surrounding them, and their public reception help us to investigate the symbolic, ritualistic, and performative dimensions of identity formulation. It considers how public monuments, providing a sense of authority to particular groups, can marginalise others by acting to settle cultural competition, and will reflect on competing interpretations of the statue at its unveiling.

Interrogating conceptions of “vulnerable youth” in theory, policy and practice

Young people who are considered ‘vulnerable’ or ‘at risk’ are a particular target of various policies, schemes and interventions. But what does vulnerability mean? Interrogating Conceptions of “Vulnerable Youth” explores this question in relation to various policy fields that are relevant to young people, as well for how this plays out in practice and how it is experienced by young people themselves. What makes this book unique is that most authors had the opportunity to jointly explore these issues during a two-day workshop, and their chapters are informed by their cross-agency and cross-discipline discussions, making for a nuanced and thoughtful set of contributions. This collection is highly recommended for researchers and research students in the social sciences, as well as professional staff working in youth policy and youth services, in government departments and in NGOs. “Those who are most vulnerable should receive our greatest moral attention. However, the translation of generalised moral principles into effective policy and programs has never been easy. Political interests have invariably intervened, leading to complex debates about how vulnerability should be defined, classified, measured and represented. In recent years, these debates have become further complicated, as nation-states around the world have preached austerity. This timely book suggests that the responsibility for protecting the vulnerable cannot be left to individuals, but demands collective action, through institutions such as education, health and welfare. It examines some of the ways in which public policies and programs represent those who are vulnerable, involving a range of assumptions about the social, economic and political conditions that produce their vulnerabilities.” From the Foreword by Professor Fazal Rizvi

Determinants of individual foraging specialization in large marine vertebrates, the Antarctic and subantarctic fur seals

The degree of individual specialization in resource use differs widely among wild populations where individuals range from fully generalized to highly specialized. This interindividual variation has profound implications in many ecological and evolutionary processes. A recent review proposed four main ecological causes of individual specialization: interspecific and intraspecific competition, ecological opportunity and predation. Using the isotopic signature of subsampled whiskers, we investigated to what degree three of these factors (interspecific and intraspecific competition and ecological opportunity) affect the population niche width and the level of individual foraging specialization in two fur seal species, the Antarctic and subantarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella and Arctocephalus tropicalis), over several years. Population niche width was greater when the two seal species bred in allopatry (low interspecific competition) than in sympatry or when seals bred in high-density stabilized colonies (high intraspecific competition). In agreement with the niche variation hypothesis (NVH), higher population niche width was associated with higher interindividual niche variation. However, in contrast to the NVH, all Antarctic females increased their niche width during the interbreeding period when they had potential access to a wider diversity of foraging grounds and associated prey (high ecological opportunities), suggesting they all dispersed to a similar productive area. The degree of individual specialization varied among populations and within the annual cycle. Highest levels of interindividual variation were found in a context of lower interspecific or higher intraspecific competition. Contrasted results were found concerning the effect of ecological opportunity. Depending on seal species, females exhibited either a greater or lower degree of individual specialization during the interbreeding period, reflecting species-specific biological constraints during that period. These results suggest a significant impact of ecological interactions on the population niche width and degree of individual specialization. Such variation at the individual level may be an important factor in the species plasticity with significant consequences on how it may respond to environmental variability.

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.

Institutional processes and the production of gender inequalities: the case of Australian child support research and administration

This article analyses the administrative and research capture of child support data as a case study of how institutional data collection processes are performative in perpetuating gendered inequalities. We compare interviews with 19 low-income single mothers and their longitudinal survey responses from the same research to reveal how low-income women strategically or inadvertently ‘smoothed’ their experiences when responding to data collection processes. This directly resulted in material and symbolic costs in the form of reduced welfare benefits and limited evidence with which to lobby for policy reform. These processes in turn provided benefits to fathers and the state in the form of reduced child support liabilities and enforcement action, and welfare outlays, respectively. We conclude that current administrative and research data collection practices provide a limited and gendered evidence base for administrative justice and policy reform.

Demographic and phenotypic effects of human mediated trophic subsidy on a large Australian lizard (Varanus varius): meal ticket or last supper?

Humans are increasingly subsidizing and altering natural food webs via changes to nutrient cycling and productivity. Where human trophic subsidies are concentrated and persistent within natural environments, their consumption could have complex consequences for wild animals through altering habitat preferences, phenotypes and fitness attributes that influence population dynamics. Human trophic subsidies conceptually create both costs and benefits for animals that receive increased calorific and altered nutritional inputs. Here, we evaluated the effects of a common terrestrial human trophic subsidies, human food refuse, on population and phenotypic (comprising morphological and physiological health indices) parameters of a large predatory lizard (∼2 m length), the lace monitor (Varanus varius), in southern Australia by comparison with individuals not receiving human trophic subsidies. At human trophic subsidies sites, lizards were significantly more abundant and their sex ratio highly male biased compared to control sites in natural forest. Human trophic subsidies recipient lizards were significantly longer, heavier and in much greater body condition. Blood parasites were significantly lower in human trophic subsidies lizards. Collectively, our results imply that human trophic subsidized sites were especially attractive to adult male lace monitors and had large phenotypic effects. However, we cannot rule out that the male-biased aggregations of large monitors at human trophic subsidized sites could lead to reductions in reproductive fitness, through mate competition and offspring survival, and through greater exposure of eggs and juveniles to predation. These possibilities could have negative population consequences. Aggregations of these large predators may also have flow on effects to surrounding food web dynamics through elevated predation levels. Given that flux of energy and nutrients into food webs is central to the regulation of populations and their communities, we advocate further studies of human trophic subsidies be undertaken to evaluate the potentially large ecological implications of this significant human environmental alteration.

Facebook use and its relationship with sport anxiety

Social media (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) use has increased considerably since its inception; however, research examining the relationship between social media use and sport has not progressed as rapidly. The purpose of the current study was to explore the prevalence rates of Facebook use among athletes around and during sport competitions and to investigate the relationships between sport anxiety and Facebook use. Two hundred and ninety-eight athletes of varying levels completed measures for sport anxiety and Facebook use, which included descriptive information about Facebook use prior to, during and following competitions. Results indicated that 31.9% of athletes had used Facebook during a competition and 68.1% had accessed Facebook within 2 h prior to competition. Time spent on Facebook prior to competition was significantly (and positively) correlated with the concentration disruption component of sport anxiety. Furthermore, regression analyses revealed that having push notifications enabled on an athletes' phone predicted 4.4% of the variability in sport anxiety. The percentage of athletes who accessed Facebook within 2 h of, or during, a competition is somewhat alarming considering the importance of psychological preparation in sport, which may compromise optimal psychological readiness and may lead to increased sport anxiety.