Samurai in the surf : the arrival of the Japanese on the Gold Coast in the 1980s

Samurai in the Surf explores the history of Japanese investment in the 1980s, following a money-trail that leads back to a ballooning Japanese economy and a colorful array of investment sources. The book also explores the local community's views of this unprecedented stream of foreign investment and provides a convincing illustration of the links between 1980s Queensland and Pauline Hanson's One Nation movement of the 1990s.

Heidegger and the Japanese connection

This collection of new essays on phenomenological themes reviews aspects of the philosophical movement which began with the publication in 1900-01 of Edmund Husserl's path-breaking Logical Investigations. A broad survey of phenomenology is particularly timely given that this philosophical movement is reaching a hundred years of its existence. The thirteen contributions represent a wide range of approaches and interests within the phenomenological framework. Some present approaches to Husserl, while others explore aspects of the fundamental texts of phenomenology and provide critical discussions of later thinkers such as Heidegger, Sartre, and Derrida whose relation to Husserl receives particular attention. The final section relates phenomenology to other disciplines and to broader issues in social thought and cultural studies. This book will enable students and professional philosophers alike to explore the various strands of this widely influential school of thought.

Kokusaika and Internationalisation: Australian and Japanese sister city type relationships

Sister city type relationships at local government level form an important part of Australian-Japanese relations. The original concept of sister cities was to increase international understanding and peace at local level. Over the years, that concept has changed and there is now a robust debate over the inclusion of commercial exchanges into sister city type relationships. This article describes the context of this debate by analysing the different perceptions of sister city type relationships in Australia and Japan. It begins with a discussion of the public policy contexts of sister cities in both Australia and Japan. The second section deals with an analysis of the results of surveys in Australia and Japan. Finally, case studies of two important issues related to SCTRs are discussed: economic and business relations and community involvement. The article concludes by suggesting that sister city type relationships between Australia and Japan are dependent upon the over-arching public policy contexts and sometimes lead to mismatched expectations between the two countries.

Natriuretic peptide guanylyl cyclase receptors in the kidney of the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica

Natriuretic peptides are linked to osmoregulation, cardiovascular and volume regulation in fishes. The peptides bind to two guanylyl-cyclase-linked receptors, natriuretic peptide receptor-A (NPR-A) and NPR-B, to elicit their effects. Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) binds principally to NPR-A, whereas C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) binds to NPR-B. The teleost kidney has an important role in the maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balance; therefore, the location of NPR-A and NPR-B in the kidney could provide insights into the functions of natriuretic peptides. This study used homologous, affinity purified, polyclonal antibodies to NPR-A and NPR-B to determine their location in the kidney of the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica. Kidneys from freshwater and seawater acclimated animals were fixed overnight in 4% paraformaldehyde before being paraffin-embedded and immunostained. NPR-A immunoreactivity was found on the apical membrane of proximal tubule 1 and the vascular endothelium including the glomerular capillaries. In contrast, NPR-B immunoreactivity was located on the smooth muscle of blood vessels including the glomerular afferent and efferent arterioles, and on smooth muscle tissue surrounding the collecting ducts. No difference in the distribution of NPR-A and NPR-B was observed between freshwater and seawater kidneys. Immunoreactivity was not observed in any tissue in which the antibodies had been preabsorbed. In addition, there was no difference in NPR-A and NPR-B mRNA expression between freshwater-acclimated and seawater-acclimated eels. These results suggest that, although utilizing the same second messenger system, ANP and CNP act on different targets within the kidney and presumably elicit different effects.

The victories of failure: C. J. Degaris and his Corio garden suburb

Mildura's Clement John De Garis (1884 - 1926) was renowned in his lifetime as an entrepreneur, promoter of Australian literature, publicist, pioneering aviator, author, lyricist, orator, dramatist, irrigationist, newspaper proprietor, magazine editor, land developer and most importantly, a visionary.

'Particularly happy' arrangement?: Idealism, pragmatism and the enclosed open spaces of Perth garden suburbs

One of the hallmarks of many planned garden suburbs of the early twentieth century is the internal reserve: open space at the rear of residences, without street frontage. An idealistic conception with direct links to overseas planning theory, these spaces were not always well received by either local councils or residents; despite this, many survive today as legacies of early suburban reformism. Perth’s highest-profile planning advocates of the interwar years, most notably town clerk William Bold and the progressive surveying  partnership of Hope and Klem, embraced and encouraged the idea and a number of middle-ring suburbs in Perth feature internal reserves which have survived both encroachment and resubdivision. Some have been given heritage status in recognition of their importance to the history and fabric of particular suburban communities; others remain neglected and essentially unacknowledged. All raise ongoing usage, maintenance and management issues for the councils that have inherited them.

A comparison of motivations of American and Japanese volunteers in ladies professional golf association tournaments

This exploratory study examined and compared primary motives influencing American and Japanese volunteers of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). Data were collected from 281 volunteers who participated in LPGA tournament events in America and Japan. Japanese volunteers were found to be more involved in volunteer service due to “Social/Leisure” and “Material” reasons, while American volunteers were found to be associated with “Egoistic” and “Purposive” motivations. There was no significant difference in the “External Influences” factor. The study contributes to personnel and administration research and provides insight on the ways in which the LPGA event volunteers are managed in America and Japan...

The pricing and underwriting costs of Japanese REIT IPOs

This study investigates 40 Japanese REIT IPOs during 2001 to 2006 and finds evidence that higher final offer prices are reflected in higher underpricing levels by such IPOs. There is also some evidence that the engagement of one of the big three Japanese underwriting firms suggests less money is left on the table. Economies of scale in underwriting fees for Japanese REIT IPOs are also found. Specifically, the percentage underwriting fees decrease with higher amounts of equity capital sought but the percentage fee decreases at a diminishing rate.

Cultivating health and wellbeing : members' perceptions of the health benefits of a Port Melbourne community garden

This paper reports on a research project undertaken with members of a community garden in Port Melbourne, Australia, to investigate the ways in which such a facility contributes to the enhancement of health, wellbeing and contact with nature for urban dwellers. Ten members from an urban community garden were interviewed using qualitative semi-structured questions exploring perceptions of health and wellbeing benefits associated with membership. The garden was felt by members to be a sanctuary where people could come together and escape daily pressures, a source of advice and social support, and a place which gave them a sense of worth and involvement. Members also identified spiritual, fitness and nutritional benefits arising from participation in the community garden. It is evident even from this small qualitative study that community gardening offers many health and wellbeing benefits to members. This study provides a basis for the benefits of community gardens in Australia to be taken into account by policy-makers and practitioners to enhance urban community health and wellbeing.

Ultraviolet colour perception in European starlings and Japanese quail

Whereas humans have three types of cone photoreceptor, birds have four types of single cones and, unlike humans, are sensitive to ultraviolet light (UV, 320-400 run). Most birds are thought to have either a violet-sensitive single cone that has some sensitivity to UV wavelengths (for example, many non-passerine species) or a single cone that has maximum sensitivity to UV (for example, oscine passerine. species). UV sensitivity is possible because, unlike humans, avian ocular media do not absorb UV light before it reaches the retina. The different single cone types and their sensitivity to UV light give birds the potential to discriminate reflectance spectra that look identical to humans. It is clear that birds use UV signals for a number of visual tasks, but there are few studies that directly demonstrate a role for UV in the detection of chromaticity differences (i.e. colour vision) as opposed to achromatic brightness. If the output of the violet/UV cone is used in achromatic visual tasks, objects reflecting more UV will appear brighter to the bird. 11, however, the output is used in a chromatic mechanism, birds will be able to discriminate spectral stimuli according to the amount of reflected light in the UV part of the spectrum relative to longer wavelengths. We have developed a UV 'colour blindness' test, which we have given to a passerine (European starling) and a non-passerine (Japanese quail) species. Both species learnt to discriminate between a longwave control of orange vs red stimuli and UV vs 'non-UV' stimuli, which were designed to be impossible to differentiate by achromatic mechanisms. We therefore conclude that the output of the violet/UV cone is involved in a chromatic colour vision system in these two species.