The ‘feminine revolution in mining’ : a critique

This paper presents an analysis of media reports of Australian women in mine management. It argues that a dominant storyline in the texts is one of gender change; in fact, a ‘feminine revolution’ is said to have occurred in the mining industry and corporate Australia more generally. Despite this celebratory and transformative discourse the female mine managers interviewed in the media texts seek to distance themselves from women/female identity/femininity and take up a script of gender neutrality. It is demonstrated, however, that this script is saturated with the assumptions and definitions of managerial masculinity.

Gender, sexuality, and rurality in the mining industry

Sexuality is a subject that has been, at best, marginal in the significant body of literature that has examined gender and mining in contemporary Western nations. This is despite the fact that academics have circled, if not almost bumped into the topic in closely related discussions of hegemonic masculinity and mining work, and of patriarchal familial relations and mining communities. This scholarship has documented what has been and remains women’s primary relationship to mining—that is, as a “mining wife.” How patriarchal relations are manifest in and emerge from this state of affairs has been critiqued with research on the gendered implications of housing arrangements in mining towns, the division of household labor, changing shift-work mining rosters, and the gendered consequences of strikes and mine closures (Williams 1981; Gibson 1992; Gibson-Graham 1996; Rhodes 2005; McDonald, Mayes, and Pini 2012). Despite the centrality of the heterosexual relationship—and indeed heteronormativity—to these discussions, scholars of gender and mining have had little to say on the subject of sexuality. In response to this lacuna, this chapter takes an exploratory lens to the subject of sexuality and the mining industry. We approach the task from the perspective that the mining industry is gendered as masculine. That is, definitions of mining mobilize around masculinized notions of physicality, technical competence with machinery, and strength, as well as emphasize the harshness and dirtiness of the work (Mayes and Pini 2010).

The use of phospholipid fatty acid analysis to measure impact of acid rock drainage on microbial communities in sediments

The impact of acid rock drainage (ARD) and eutrophication on microbial communities in stream sediments above and below an abandoned mine site in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia, was quantified by PLFA analysis. Multivariate analysis of water quality parameters, including anions, soluble heavy metals, pH, and conductivity, as well as total extractable metal concentrations in sediments, produced clustering of sample sites into three distinct groups. These groups corresponded with levels of nutrient enrichment and/or concentration of pollutants associated with ARD. Total PLFA concentration, which is indicative of microbial biomass, was reduced by >70% at sites along the stream between the mine site and as far as 18 km downstream. Further downstream, however, recovery of the microbial abundance was apparent, possibly reflecting dilution effect by downstream tributaries. Total PLFA was >40% higher at, and immediately below, the mine site (0-0.1 km), compared with sites further downstream (2.5-18 km), even after accounting for differences in specific surface area of different sediment samples. The increased microbial population in the proximity of the mine source may be associated with the presence of a thriving iron-oxidizing bacteria community as a consequence of optimal conditions for these organisms while the lower microbial population further downstream corresponded with greater sediments' metal concentrations. PCA of relative abundance revealed a number of PLFAs which were most influential in discriminating between ARD-polluted sites and the rest of the sites. These PLFA included the hydroxy fatty acids: 2OH12:0, 3OH12:0, 2OH16:0; the fungal marker: 18:2ω6; the sulfate-reducing bacteria marker 10Me16:1ω7; and the saturated fatty acids 12:0, 16:0, 18:0. Partial constrained ordination revealed that the environmental parameters with the greatest bearing on the PLFA profiles included pH, soluble aluminum, total extractable iron, and zinc. The study demonstrated the successful application of PLFA analysis to rapidly assess the toxicity of ARD-affected waters and sediments and to differentiate this response from the effects of other pollutants, such as increased nutrients and salinity.

Configurations of Gender, Class and Rurality in Resource Affected Rural Australia

Historically, class has been a key concern in studies of resource affected communities (e.g., Williamson 1982, Warwick and Littlejohn 1992). While work continues, particularly in Britain, today it reflects the rationalization of the British mining sector, and thus focuses largely on mining heritage (e.g., Strangleman et al. 1999, Dicks 2008). In contrast, this chapter examines class relations as manifest in a contemporary setting in rural Australia. This site, the Ravensthorpe Shire in the south west of Western Australia, relied largely on agriculture until 2004 when BHP Billiton commenced construction of a nickel mine in the area. This affected the entire Shire as well as the two rural communities of Ravensthorpe and Hopetoun. The mine, which was officially opened in June 2008, is one of a large number of new mineral and energy developments being established in non metropolitan areas of the country as high international demand for resources fuels significant growth in the sector. In a single six month period in 2009, for example, 15 major minerals and energy projects were completed across the nation and a further 74 projects were at advanced stages (Australian Bureau of Agricultural Economics 2009). A number of these were, as was the case in Ravensthorpe, in what had been traditionally agricultural communities.

A vibrational spectroscopic study of the phosphate mineral rimkorolgite (Mg,Mn2+)5(Ba, Sr)(PO4)4·8H2O from Kovdor massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia

We have studied aspect of the molecular structure of the phosphate mineral rimkorolgite from Zheleznyi iron mine, Kovdor massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia, using SEM with EDX and vibrational spectroscopy. Qualitative chemical analysis shows a homogeneous phase, composed by P, Mg, Ba, Mn and Ca. Small amounts of Si were also observed. An intense Raman peak at 975 cm−1 is assigned to the PO43− ν1 symmetric stretching mode. The Raman band at 964 cm−1 is attributed to the HPO42− ν1 symmetric stretching vibration. Raman bands observed at 1016, 1035, 1052, 1073, 1105 and 1135 cm−1 are attributed to the ν3 antisymmetric stretching vibrations of the HPO42− and PO43− units. Complexity in the spectra of the phosphate bending region is observed. The broad Raman band at 3272 cm−1 is assigned to the water stretching vibration. Vibrational spectroscopy enables aspects on the molecular structure of rimkorolgite to be undertaken.

Proposals for future BPM research directions

Business Process Management has substantially matured over the last two decades. The techniques, methods and systems available to scope, model, analyze, implement, execute, monitor and even mine a process have been scientifically researched and can be in most cases deployed in practice. In fact, many of these BPM capabilities are nowadays a commodity. However, an opportunity-rich environment and rapidly emerging digital disruptions require new BPM capabilities. In light of this context, this paper proposes three future research and development directions for BPM academics and professionals. First, Ambidextrous BPM demands the shift of focus from exploitative to explorative BPM. Second, Value-driven BPM postulates a stronger focus on the desired outcomes as opposed to the available BPM methods. Third, Customer Process Management suggests complementing the dominating internal view of BPM with a stronger, design-inspired view on the process experiences of external stakeholders.

Standing surface waves in a dust-contaminated large-area planar plasma source

The effect of charged particulates or dusts on surface wave produced microwave discharges is studied. The frequencies of the standing electromagnetic eigenmodes of large-area flat plasmas are calculated. The dusts absorb a significant amount of the plasma electrons and can lead to a modification of the electromagnetic field structure in the discharge by shifting the originally excited operating mode out of resonance. For certain given proportions of dusts, mode conversion is found to be possible. The power loss in the discharge is also increased because of dust-specific dissipations, leading to a decrease of the operating mode quality factor.

Ion-acoustic waves in a dust-contaminated plasma

A self-consistent theory of ion-acoustic waves in dusty gas discharge plasmas is presented. The plasma is contaminated by fine dust particles with variable charge. The stationary state of the plasma and the dispersion and damping characteristics of the waves are investigated accounting for ionization, recombination, dust charge relaxation, and dissipation due to electron and ion elastic collisions with neutrals and dusts, as well as charging collisions with the dusts.

Ion-acoustic waves in a complex plasma with negative ions

Negative ions and negatively charged micro- to nano-meter sized dust grains are ubiquitous in astrophysical as well as industrial processing plasmas. The negative ions can appear in electro-negative plasmas as a result of elementary processes such as dissociative or non-dissociative electron attachment to neutrals. They are usually rather small in number, and in general do not affect the overall plasma behavior. On the other hand, since the dust grains are almost always highly negative, even in small numbers they can take up a considerable proportion of the total negative charge in the system. The presence of dusts can affect the characteristics of most collective processes of the plasma since the charge balance in both the steady and dynamic states can be significantly altered. Another situation that often occurs is that the electron number density becomes small because of their absorption by the dust grains or the discharge walls. In this case the negative ions in the plasma can play a very important role. Here, a self-consistent theory of linear waves in complex laboratory plasmas containing dust grains and negative ions is presented. A comprehensive model for such plasmas including source and sink effects associated with the presence of dust grains and negative ions is introduced. The stationary state of the plasma as well as the dispersion and damping characteristics of the waves are investigated. All relevant processes, such as ionization, diffusion, electron attachment, negative-positive ion recombination, dust charge relaxation, and dissipation due to electron and ion elastic collisions with neutrals and dust particles, as well as charging collisions with the dusts, are taken into consideration.

On the realization of the current-driven dust ion-acoustic instability

The current-driven dust ion-acoustic instability in a collisional dusty plasma is studied. The effects of dust-charge variation, electron and ion capture by the dust grains, as well as various dissipative mechanisms leading to the changes of the particles momenta, are taken into account. It is shown that the threshold for the excitation of the dust ion-acoustic waves can be high because of the large dissipation rate induced by the dusts. © 1999 American Institute of Physics.

Low-frequency dispersion properties of plasmas with variable-charge impurities

A theory of low-frequency dust-acoustic waves in low-temperature collisional plasmas containing variable-charge impurities is presented. Physical processes such as dust-charge relaxation, ionization-recombination of the electrons and ions, electron and ion elastic collisions with neutrals and dusts, as well as charging collisions with the dusts, are taken into account. Inclusion of these processes allows a balance of the plasma particles and thus a self-consistent determination of the stationary state of the unperturbed plasma. The generalized dispersion relation describing the propagation and damping of the dust acoustic waves is derived and analyzed. © 2000 American Institute of Physics.

A Raman spectroscopic study of the arsenate mineral chenevixite Cu2Fe23+(AsO4)2(OH)4⋅H2O

We have studied the mineral chenevixite from Manto Cuba Mine, San Pedro de Cachiyuyo District, Inca de Oro, Chañaral Province, Atacama Region, Chile, using a combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) and vibrational spectroscopy. Qualitative chemical analysis shows a homogeneous composition, with predominance of As, Fe, Al, Cu, Fe and Cu. Minor amounts of Si were also observed. Raman spectroscopy complimented with infrared spectroscopy has been used to assess the molecular structure of the arsenate minerals chenevixite. Characteristic Raman and infrared bands of the (AsO4)3− stretching and bending vibrations are identified and described. The observation of multiple bands in the (AsO4)3− bending region offers support for the loss of symmetry of the arsenate anion in the structure of chenevixite. Raman bands attributable to the OH stretching vibrations of water and hydroxyl units were analysed. Estimates of the hydrogen bond distances were made based upon the OH stretching wavenumbers.

Using the SWAP to connect water, human rights and mining

It is important that industries’ water interactions respect the human right to water. Historically, within the mining industry there has been a disconnect between the management of sites’ internal water interactions and the consequences of their external impacts, including human rights impacts. This poses a challenge for the mining industry as it attempts to put the Ruggie Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights into practice, particularly as United Nations has recently recognised the human right to water. A technical framework such as the Minerals Council of Australia’s Water Accounting Framework (WAF) can help to bridge this disconnect and to integrate human rights considerations into business practice by connecting a site’s external and internal water interactions and by encouraging regular monitoring of performance. However, at present the connection is limited since the WAF lacks the capability to formalise a site’s social water context. This work presents the Social Water Assessment Protocol (SWAP), a scoping tool consisting of a set of questions organised into taxonomic themes that capture a site’s social water context and that can be combined with the WAF to better connect human rights with mine water interactions.

Corporate sustainability reporting for water : water footprint, global reporting initiative and the water accounting framework

Three initiatives with respect to water reporting in the mining sector are compared in this paper to understand the quantities that are asked for by each initiative and the guidelines of those initiatives through means of a case study. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) was chosen because it has achieved widespread acceptance amongst mining companies and its water-related indicators are widely reported in corporate sustainability reporting. In contrast, the Water Footprint Network, which has been an important initiative in food and agricultural industries, has had low acceptance in the mining industry. The third initiative is the Water Accounting Framework, a collaboration between The Minerals Council of Australia and the Sustainable Minerals Institute of the University of Queensland. A water account had previously been created according to the Water Accounting Framework for the case study site, an open pit coal mine in the Bowen Basin. The resulting account provided consistent data for the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Water Footprint attributable to mining but in particular, a deficiency in the GRI indicator of EN10 reuse and recycling efficiency was illustrated quantitatively. This has far-reaching significance due to the widespread use of GRI indicators in mining corporate reports.

Spectroscopic vibrations of austinite (CaZnAsO4⋅OH) and its mineral structure : Implications for identification of secondary arsenic-containing mineral

Austinite (CaZnAsO4⋅OH) is a unique secondary mineral in arsenic-contaminated mine wastes. The infrared and Raman spectroscopies were used to characterize the austenite vibrations. The IR bands at 369, 790 and 416 cm−1 are assigned to the ν2, ν3 and ν4 vibrations of AsO43− unit, respectively. The Raman bands at 814, 779 and 403 cm−1 correspond to the ν1, ν3 and ν4 vibrations of AsO43− unit respectively. The sharp bands at 3265 cm−1 for IR and 3270 cm−1 both reveals that the structural hydroxyl units exist in the austenite structure. The IR and Raman spectra both show that some SO4 units isomorphically replace AsO4 in austinite. X-ray single crystal diffraction provides the arrangement of each atom in the mineral structure, and also confirms that the conclusions made from the vibrational spectra. Micro-powder diffraction was used to confirm our mineral identification due to the small quantity of the austenite crystals.