Tree use, diet and home range of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) at Blair Athol, central Queensland

Free-ranging koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) were monitored by means of radio-relocation in the area of Blair Athol Coal Mine and surrounding properties. Daytime tree use, home range and diet of these koalas was determined in spring and autumn, as was the leaf moisture composition of potential fodder species. Koalas used on average 93 (male koalas) and 56 (female koalas) trees during the period of observation, occupying home ranges of 135 and 101 ha respectively. Mean sightings per tree were 1.19 for both males and females and home-range sizes were not significantly different between sexes or seasons. Koalas were observed returning to previously used daytime roosting trees infrequently (

New arsenite-oxidizing bacteria isolated from Australian gold mining environments - Phylogenetic relationships

Nine novel arsenite-oxidizing bacteria have been isolated from two different gold mine environments in Australia. Four of these organisms grow chemolithoautotrophically with oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor, arsenite as the electron donor, and carbon dioxide-bicarbonate as the sole carbon source. Five heterotrophic arsenite-oxidizing bacteria were also isolated, one of which was found to be both phylogenetically and physiologically identical to the previously described heterotrophic arsenite oxidizer misidentified as Alcaligenes faecalis. The results showed that this strain belongs to the genus Achromobacter. Phylogenetically, the arsenite-oxidizing bacteria fall within two separate subdivisions of the Proteobacteria. Interestingly, the chemolithoautotrophic arsenite oxidizers belong to the alpha-Proteobacteria, whereas the heterotrophic arsenite oxidizers belong to the beta-Proteobacteria.

Engineering closure of an open pit gold operation in a semi-arid climate

Along with material characteristics and geometry, the climate in which a mine is located can have a dramatic effect on the appropriate options for rehabilitation. The paper outlines the setting, mining, milling and waste disposal at Kidston Gold Mine's open pit operations in the semi-arid climate of North Queensland, Australia, before focusing on the engineering aspects of the rehabilitation of Kidston. The mine took a holistic and proactive approach to rehabilitation, and was prepared to demonstrate a number of innovative approaches, which are described in the paper. Engineering issues that had to be addressed included the geotechnical stability and deformation of waste rock dumps, including a 240 m high in-pit dump: the construction and performance monitoring of a “store and release” cover over potentially acid forming mineralised waste rock; erosion from the side slopes of the waste rock dumps; the in-pit co-disposal of waste rock and thickened tailings; the geotechnical stability of the tailings dam wall; the potential for erosion of bare tailings; the water balance of the tailings dam; direct revegetation of the tailings; and the pit hydrology. The rehabilitation of the mine represents an important benchmark in mine site rehabilitation best practice, from which lessons applicable worldwide can be shared.

Asymmetric blasting: a rock mass dependent blast design method

Blasting has been the most frequently used method for rock breakage since black powder was first used to fragment rocks, more than two hundred years ago. This paper is an attempt to reassess standard design techniques used in blasting by providing an alternative approach to blast design. The new approach has been termed asymmetric blasting. Based on providing real time rock recognition through the capacity of measurement while drilling (MWD) techniques, asymmetric blasting is an approach to deal with rock properties as they occur in nature, i.e., randomly and asymmetrically spatially distributed. It is well accepted that performance of basic mining operations, such as excavation and crushing rely on a broken rock mass which has been pre conditioned by the blast. By pre-conditioned we mean well fragmented, sufficiently loose and with adequate muckpile profile. These muckpile characteristics affect loading and hauling [1]. The influence of blasting does not end there. Under the Mine to Mill paradigm, blasting has a significant leverage on downstream operations such as crushing and milling. There is a body of evidence that blasting affects mineral liberation [2]. Thus, the importance of blasting has increased from simply fragmenting and loosing the rock mass, to a broader role that encompasses many aspects of mining, which affects the cost of the end product. A new approach is proposed in this paper which facilitates this trend 'to treat non-homogeneous media (rock mass) in a non-homogeneous manner (an asymmetrical pattern) in order to achieve an optimal result (in terms of muckpile size distribution).' It is postulated there are no logical reasons (besides the current lack of means to infer rock mass properties in the blind zones of the bench and onsite precedents) for drilling a regular blast pattern over a rock mass that is inherently heterogeneous. Real and theoretical examples of such a method are presented.

Critical comparison of Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) blast fragmentation models

Blast fragmentation can have a significant impact on the profitability of a mine. An optimum run of mine (ROM) size distribution is required to maximise the performance of downstream processes. If this fragmentation size distribution can be modelled and controlled, the operation will have made a significant advancement towards improving its performance. Blast fragmentation modelling is an important step in Mine to Mill™ optimisation. It allows the estimation of blast fragmentation distributions for a number of different rock mass, blast geometry, and explosive parameters. These distributions can then be modelled in downstream mining and milling processes to determine the optimum blast design. When a blast hole is detonated rock breakage occurs in two different stress regions - compressive and tensile. In the-first region, compressive stress waves form a 'crushed zone' directly adjacent to the blast hole. The second region, termed the 'cracked zone', occurs outside the crush one. The widely used Kuz-Ram model does not recognise these two blast regions. In the Kuz-Ram model the mean fragment size from the blast is approximated and is then used to estimate the remaining size distribution. Experience has shown that this model predicts the coarse end reasonably accurately, but it can significantly underestimate the amount of fines generated. As part of the Australian Mineral Industries Research Association (AMIRA) P483A Mine to Mill™ project, the Two-Component Model (TCM) and Crush Zone Model (CZM), developed by the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC), were compared and evaluated to measured ROM fragmentation distributions. An important criteria for this comparison was the variation of model results from measured ROM in the-fine to intermediate section (1-100 mm) of the fragmentation curve. This region of the distribution is important for Mine to Mill™ optimisation. The comparison of modelled and Split ROM fragmentation distributions has been conducted in harder ores (UCS greater than 80 MPa). Further work involves modelling softer ores. The comparisons will be continued with future site surveys to increase confidence in the comparison of the CZM and TCM to Split results. Stochastic fragmentation modelling will then be conducted to take into account variation of input parameters. A window of possible fragmentation distributions can be compared to those obtained by Split . Following this work, an improved fragmentation model will be developed in response to these findings.

Induction in the timed interval calculus

The Timed Interval Calculus, a timed-trace formalism based on set theory, is introduced. It is extended with an induction law and a unit for concatenation, which facilitates the proof of properties over trace histories. The effectiveness of the extended Timed Interval Calculus is demonstrated via a benchmark case study, the mine pump. Specifically, a safety property relating to the operation of a mine shaft is proved, based on an implementation of the mine pump and assumptions about the environment of the mine. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

As autarquias e a educação. Centro e periferia na construção das políticas educativas (1998-2008)

RESUMO: Com o actual quadro de descentralização de atribuições e competências da administração central para as autarquias locais, na área da educação, os municípios passam a investir cada vez mais na acção educativa ao liderarem e planearem políticas educativas locais mais ou menos explícitas, e, nalguns casos, tentando superar carências que o sistema educativo apresenta. Esta pesquisa tem como problemática compreender o papel do Estado na (re)configuração das políticas de educação, quando a tendência para a mudança, de um Estado-educador para um Estado-regulador, tem por pressuposto o discurso neoliberal de que com ‗menos‘ Estado mas maior accountability se obtêm melhores resultados. Este processo origina uma redefinição no papel e funções do Estado no plano social e económico, provocando constrangimentos e conflitos de poder no que respeita ao seu controlo político, com a redistribuição de poderes entre o Estado e a comunidade, entre o central e o local. É neste contexto de mudança que a presente investigação, que se situa no âmbito da análise das políticas educativas, procura averiguar como e com que meios as autarquias locais concretizam as suas competências na área da educação. A estratégia de investigação concentra-se em uma metodologia qualitativa, com a utilização de um estudo exploratório, em três municípios da Região de Lisboa e Vale do Tejo. As actuais políticas educativas derivam da nova visão na gestão da coisa pública – res publica –, como resultado da nova concepção para o próprio Estado, e dos processos de elaboração das decisões político-educativas. Nesta perspectiva, a descentralização passa a ser um instrumento do poder local que favorece o aumento da autoridade democrática dos actores. Todavia, a governação – governance – supõe uma dinâmica de negociação, até mesmo de regulação entre o Estado, a região, o local, a escola e o mercado, feita para atender à construção do interesse geral, que já não é totalmente definido pelo Estado, mas construído em conjunto com as diversas forças políticas, económicas, educativas e sociais. O estudo permitiu evidenciar que a descentralização é posta em causa pelo Estado central, quando este ‗recentraliza‘ decisões e condiciona o poder local, com o fecho da maioria das escolas do primeiro ciclo e a verticalização dos agrupamentos escolares. Por sua vez, algumas políticas educativas como a ‗Escola a Tempo Inteiro‘ fomentam a desregulação dos vínculos laborais, forçando os municípios a aumentar os seus meios técnicos e humanos e a construírem novas infra-estruturas educativas. As políticas educativas passaram a ser concebidas segundo uma matriz híbrida, que visam a municipalização da educação – do pré-escolar e de todo o ensino básico –, por um lado; e fomentam a situação de ‗quase-mercado‘ com a privatização de sectores e o financiamento de várias instituições – que fornecem serviços na área da educação –, por outro lado. ABSTRACT: With the current framework of decentralization of functions and powers from central government to local authorities, in education, the municipalities are investing each more in educational work in leading educational policies and planning places more or less explicit and in some cases, trying to overcome shortcomings that education system. This research aims to understand the role of the state in the (re) configuration of education policies, when the tendency for the change in a State-Educator for a State-regulator, is the assumption that neo-liberal speech that with 'less' State but with more accountability we achieve better results. This process leads to a redefinition of the role and State functions in socio-economic constraints, resulting in power struggles with regard to its political control, with the redistribution of powers between the state and community, between the central and local. It is in this changing context that the present investigation, which lies in the examination of education policy addresses the question how and by what means the local, materialized their skills in education. The strategy focuses on a qualitative methodology, with the use of an exploratory study in three municipalities of Lisbon and Tagus Valley. The current education policies come from the new vision in the management of public affairs - res publica - as a result of the new design for the State itself, and the process of preparation of educational policy decisions. In this perspective, decentralization becomes an instrument of local government that favours the increase of democratic authority of the actors. However, the governance assumes a dynamic negotiation, even in regulation between the State, region, local authorities, school and market, made to suit the construction of general interest, which is not anymore fully defined by the State, but constructed together with the various political, economic, educational and social forces. The study indicates that decentralization is undermined by the central government when it ‗re-centralize‘ decisions and the local conditions, with the closure of most primary schools and with vertical groupings of schools. In turn, some educational policies such as 'Full Time School' forced the municipalities to increase their technical and human resources, to build new educational infrastructure. The educative policies began to be designed according to a hybrid matrix, which aims the decentralization of education - from pre-school and all the primary school - on one hand, and promote the situation of 'quasi-market' with privatization of sectors and the financing of several institutions - that provide services in education -, on the other hand. RÉSUMÉ: Avec le cadre actuel de décentralisation des fonctions et pouvoirs du gouvernement central aux autorités locales, dans l'éducation, les municipalités investissent de plus en plus dans le travail éducatif dans la conduite des politiques éducatives en mener et en faisant la planification des lieux plus ou moins explicites et, dans certains cas, essayer de remédier aux lacunes que présente l'éducation. Donc, nous voulons avec cette recherche comprendre le rôle de l'Etat dans la (re) configuration des politiques d'éducation, alors que la tendance au changement d‘un État-éducateur pour un État-régulateur, a comme l'hypothèse le discours néo-libéral de que avec «moins» État, mais plus d‘accountability on a des meilleurs résultats. Ce processus conduit à une redéfinition du rôle et des fonctions de l'Etat au plan social et économique, en donnant lieu à des luttes de pouvoir à l'égard de son contrôle politique, avec la redistribution des compétences entre l'État et la collectivité, entre les niveaux central et local. C‘est dans ce contexte changeant que la présente enquête, qui réside dans l‘examen de la politique de l‘éducation aborde la question de savoir comment et par quels moyens le local matérialisé leurs compétences dans l‘éducation. La stratégie est axée sur une méthodologie qualitative, avec l'utilisation d'une étude exploratoire dans trois municipalités de Lisbonne et Vallée du Tage. Les politiques actuelles d'éducation sont tirées de la nouvelle vision dans la gestion des affaires publiques - res publica – à la suite de la nouvelle conception de l'État lui-même, et le processus de préparation des décisions politique-éducatives. Dans cette perspective, la décentralisation devient un instrument de gouvernement local qui favorise l'augmentation de l'autorité démocratique des acteurs. Toutefois, la gouvernance assume une dynamique de négociation, même en matière de réglementation entre l'État, la région, le local, l'école et le marché, faite pour répondre à la construction d'intérêt général, qui n'est pas plus entièrement défini par l'Etat, mais construit en ensemble avec les divers forces politiques, économiques, éducatives et sociales. L‘étude indique que la décentralisation est minée par le gouvernement central quand il ‗re-centralise‘ les décisions et les conditions locales, avec la fermeture de la plupart des écoles du premier cycle et avec des groupements verticaux d‘écoles. À leur tour, certaines politiques éducatives telles que ‗l'école à temps plein‘ forcé les municipalités à accroître leurs ressources techniques et humaines, de construire de nouvelles infrastructures éducatives. Les politiques éducatives ont commencé à être conçues selon une matrice hybride, qui vise à la municipalisation de l'éducation - de l'école maternelle et de toute l'école basique - d'une part ; et de promouvoir la situation de «quasi-marché» avec la privatisation de secteurs et le financement de plusieurs institutions - qui offrent des services dans l'éducation -, d‘autre part.

Outbreak of vampire bat biting in a Venezuelan village

An outbreak of 154 cases of vampire bat biting in a four-month period in the gold mine of Payapal, a Venezuelan village, is reported. All patients were bitten during the night and the most bites were on their toes. No complication attributed to the bite was reported. Diagnoses of rabies virus made by means of immunofluorescence were negative. A possible reason for this outbreak may been the development of mining areas, with the inhabitants providing an alternative food source for the bats.

Geoquímica de radionuclídeos naturais e biomonitoramento em área de mineração de carvão no sul do Brasil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Tradução e legendagem do documentário Fárria

Trabalho de Projeto Apresentado ao Instituto de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Tradução e Interpretação Especializadas, sob orientação da Mestre Graça Chorão e coorientação da Mestre Paula Almeida

Water quality issues in rivers, lakes and reservoirs in Asian countries: an approach to the problems and the methodologies

Water covers over 70% of the Earth's surface, and is vital for all known forms of life. But only 3% of the Earth's water is fresh water, and less than 0.3% of all freshwater is in rivers, lakes, reservoirs and the atmosphere. However, rivers and lakes are an important part of fresh surface water, amounting to about 89%. In this Master Thesis dissertation, the focus is on three types of water bodies – rivers, lakes and reservoirs, and their water quality issues in Asian countries. The surface water quality in a region is largely determined both by the natural processes such as climate or geographic conditions, and the anthropogenic influences such as industrial and agricultural activities or land use conversion. The quality of the water can be affected by pollutants discharge from a specific point through a sewer pipe and also by extensive drainage from agriculture/urban areas and within basin. Hence, water pollutant sources can be divided into two categories: Point source pollution and Non-point source (NPS) pollution. Seasonal variations in precipitation and surface run-off have a strong effect on river discharge and the concentration of pollutants in water bodies. For example, in the rainy season, heavy and persistent rain wash off the ground, the runoff flow increases and may contain various kinds of pollutants and, eventually, enters the water bodies. In some cases, especially in confined water bodies, the quality may be positive related with rainfall in the wet season, because this confined type of fresh water systems allows high dilution of pollutants, decreasing their possible impacts. During the dry season, the quality of water is largely related to industrialization and urbanization pollution. The aim of this study is to identify the most common water quality problems in Asian countries and to enumerate and analyze the methodologies used for assessment of water quality conditions of both rivers and confined water bodies (lakes and reservoirs). Based on the evaluation of a sample of 57 papers, dated between 2000 and 2012, it was found that over the past decade, the water quality of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs in developing countries is being degraded. Water pollution and destruction of aquatic ecosystems have caused massive damage to the functions and integrity of water resources. The most widespread NPS in Asian countries and those which have the greatest spatial impacts are urban runoff and agriculture. Locally, mine waste runoff and rice paddy are serious NPS problems. The most relevant point pollution sources are the effluents from factories, sewage treatment plant, and public or household facilities. It was found that the most used methodology was unquestionably the monitoring activity, used in 49 of analyzed studies, accounting for 86%. Sometimes, data from historical databases were used as well. It can be seen that taking samples from the water body and then carry on laboratory work (chemical analyses) is important because it can give an understanding of the water quality. 6 papers (11%) used a method that combined monitoring data and modeling. 6 papers (11%) just applied a model to estimate the quality of water. Modeling is a useful resource when there is limited budget since some models are of free download and use. In particular, several of used models come from the U.S.A, but they have their own purposes and features, meaning that a careful application of the models to other countries and a critical discussion of the results are crucial. 5 papers (9%) focus on a method combining monitoring data and statistical analysis. When there is a huge data matrix, the researchers need an efficient way of interpretation of the information which is provided by statistics. 3 papers (5%) used a method combining monitoring data, statistical analysis and modeling. These different methods are all valuable to evaluate the water quality. It was also found that the evaluation of water quality was made as well by using other types of sampling different than water itself, and they also provide useful information to understand the condition of the water body. These additional monitoring activities are: Air sampling, sediment sampling, phytoplankton sampling and aquatic animal tissues sampling. Despite considerable progress in developing and applying control regulations to point and NPS pollution, the pollution status of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs in Asian countries is not improving. In fact, this reflects the slow pace of investment in new infrastructure for pollution control and growing population pressures. Water laws or regulations and public involvement in enforcement can play a constructive and indispensable role in environmental protection. In the near future, in order to protect water from further contamination, rapid action is highly needed to control the various kinds of effluents in one region. Environmental remediation and treatment of industrial effluent and municipal wastewaters is essential. It is also important to prevent the direct input of agricultural and mine site runoff. Finally, stricter environmental regulation for water quality is required to support protection and management strategies. It would have been possible to get further information based in the 57 sample of papers. For instance, it would have been interesting to compare the level of concentrations of some pollutants in the diferente Asian countries. However the limit of three months duration for this study prevented further work to take place. In spite of this, the study objectives were achieved: the work provided an overview of the most relevant water quality problems in rivers, lakes and reservoirs in Asian countries, and also listed and analyzed the most common methodologies.

Ensaios geomecânicos em rochas metassedimentares do maciço da Mina das Aveleiras (Mosteiro de Tibães): comparação, potencialidades e limitações

Mestrado em Engenharia Geotécnica e Geoambiente

Inventário das minas de água da área do Mosteiro de Tibães: proposta preliminar de hidrogeo‐itinerários

O Mosteiro de São Martinho de Tibães localiza‐se próximo de Braga (Norte de Portugal) e foi a Casa‐mãe da Ordem Beneditina em Portugal. Este Mosteiro foi abastecido durante séculos por numerosas minas de água, a maioria das quais se encontra actualmente abandonada. Este trabalho enfatiza a importância da combinação de diferentes matérias científicas nos processos de recuperação do património mineiro abandonado, bem como de sítios geo‐arqueológicos de relevância cultural, como um exemplo do processo transformador de uma organização, no sentido de promover um segundo ciclo de vida. O objectivo deste trabalho é apresentar uma abordagem metodológica, sob o ponto de vista da geoconservação e da geodiversidade. Subsequentemente, acções específicas serão desenvolvidas para reabilitar determinadas área, com o intuito de facilitar a sua inclusão em hidrogeo‐itinerários classificados. Esta perspectiva reflecte uma importante medida para a sustentabilidade, quer para o promotor quer para o meio ambiente envolvente.

Distribuição do mercúrio nas águas termais e engarrafadas do Norte de Portugal

O aumento da utilização do mercúrio, Hg, tanto para fins industriais como na aplicação de compostos mercuriais na agricultura, originaram um aumento significativo da contaminação ambiental, especialmente das águas e dos alimentos. Foi aprofundado o estudo sobre o mercúrio, nomeadamente as suas principais fontes de emissão, a sua toxicidade, os principais efeitos nos seres humanos, algumas medidas preventivas, os limites máximos que a legislação permite, que no caso das águas analisadas é de 0,001mg/L, os métodos analíticos para a sua determinação e alguns métodos de amostragem, tanto para o mercúrio em águas como em sedimentos. Em Almadén (Espanha), existe uma mina que pode ser considerada como uma das maiores anomalias geoqímica de mercúrio na Terra. Com este trabalho pretendeu-se perceber a possível existência de mercúrio nas águas termais ao longo da zona de falha Penacova-Régua-Verin e avaliar a existência de uma relação entre os níveis de mercúrio e o seu contexto geológico. Neste trabalho, foi desenvolvido um método simples para a determinação dos níveis de mercúrio em águas, utilizando a espectrometria de absorção atómica de fonte contínua de alta resolução acoplado à técnica de vapor frio. O objectivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os níveis de mercúrio existente em algumas águas engarrafadas e termais. Os limites de detecção da técnica utilizada foram 0,0595 μg/L e os de quantificação foram 0,2100 μg/L. Depois de analisadas as amostras verificou-se que os níveis de mercúrio encontrados nas águas eram inferiores ao limite de quantificação da técnica e por isso, não foi possível extrapolar qualquer relação entre os níveis de mercúrio e as alterações do fundo geológico. Como o limite de quantificação é inferior ao limite máximo permitido por lei, pode então dizer-se que todas as águas se encontram abaixo do limite máximo permitido.