Role of timberland in us investment portfolios

Timberland is now regarded as a long-term investment with both institutional investors and absentee owners. This paper utilises the NCREIF Timberland index to examine the performance of US timberland over the period of 1987-1999. US timberland was found to provide significant risk reduction and portfolio diversification benefits in the portfolio resulting from the low risk and low correlation with stocks and bonds. Timberland was also found to make a significant contribution to a portfolio of stocks, bonds and real estate, particularly at low to midrange portfolio risk levels.

The trials and tribulations of partnerships in refugee settlement services in Australia

The ascendency of neoliberal ideas in education and social policy in the 1980s and 1990s was succeeded in the new millennium by a ‘new’ social democratic commitment with emphases on community empowerment, building social capital and a ‘whole of government’ approach to partnering with civil society to meet community needs. In Australia this approach has resulted in the development of partnerships between schools and community organisations formed as part of a targeted, holistic approach to service delivery to meet the settlement and educational needs of refugee youth. Drawing on interviews conducted with community workers and government officers involved in the school-community partnerships, we document how these partnerships are working ‘on the ground’ in Queensland schools. We analyse our findings against the international literature on changing notions of neoliberal governance, and discuss the implications of the shift to the ‘partnering state’ for schools and community organisations working with refugee young people.

Mechanisms of improvement in treatment for depression : test of a self-efficacy and performance model

Tested D. J. Kavanagh's (1983) depression model's explanation of response to cognitive-behavioral treatment among 19 20–60 yr old Ss who received treatment and 24 age-matched Ss who were assigned to a waiting list. Measures included the Beck Depression Inventory and self-efficacy (SE) and self-monitoring scales. Rises in SE and self-monitored performance of targeted skills were closely associated with the improved depression scores of treated Ss. Improvements in the depression of waiting list Ss occurred through random, uncontrolled events rather than via a systematic increase in specific skills targeted in treatment. SE regarding assertion also predicted depression scores over a 12-wk follow-up.

Can theories about leadership in schools inform the work of Principals in schools?

This paper explores recent theorising on the ways in which Principals exercise leadership in their schools with reference to the Leading 21st Century Schools Project in Australia. First, it provides an historical overview of approaches to leadership. Second, it utilises a rhetorical question about leadership to analyse the ways in which leadership and management tensions pose challenges to Principals' efforts to capacity build their staff. Third, it and suggests that the notion of distributed leadership has been the most useful method in fostering Asia literacy in the Leading 21st Century Schools Project.

Osteryoung square wave voltammetric determination of lactose in food samples by a derivative procedure

A method for determination of lactose in food samples by Osteryoung square wave voltammetry (OSWV) was developed. It was based on the nucleophilic addition reaction between lactose and aqua ammonia. The carbonyl group of lactose can be changed into imido group, and this increases the electrochemical activity in reduction and the sensitivity. The optimal condition for the nucleophilic addition reaction was investigated and it was found that in NH4Cl–NH3 buffer of pH 10.1, the linear range between the peak current and the concentration of lactose was 0.6–8.4 mg L−1, and the detection limits was 0.44 mg L−1. The proposed method was applied to the determination of lactose in food samples and satisfactory results were obtained.

Crossing boundaries: Implications of advances in basic sciences for the management of addiction.

This set of papers in this issue of "Addictive Behaviors" was presented at the 2004 'Addictions' conference, which, for the first time, was held in the Southern Hemisphere, on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia. The theme of the conference, Crossing Boundaries: Implications of Advances in Basic Sciences for the Management of Addiction, speaks for itself. The papers derive from a wide range of empirical paradigms and cover issues with relevance to the development of addiction, to the maintenance of problematic use, and to assessment, treatment, and relapse. Research from Europe and the United States is represented, as well as work from Australia. An international perspective is strongly emphasized from the initial paper by Obot, Poznyak, and Moneiro, (see record 2004-19599-015) which describes the WHO Report on the Neuroscience of Psychoactive Substance Use and Dependence, and summarises some of the report's implications for policy and practice. Hall, Carter, and Morley (see record 2004-19599-014) close the issue with a paper on the wide-ranging ethical implications of advances in neuroscience research, including issues arising from the identification of high risk for addiction, the potential for coercive pharmacotherapy, use of medications to enhance function, and risks to privacy.

Brief opportunistic intervention : the role of psychologists in initiating self-change amongst problem drinkers

Excessive consumption of alcohol is a serious public health problem. While intensive treatments are suitable for those who are physically dependent on alcohol, they are not cost-effective options for the vast majority of problem drinkers who are not dependent. There is good evidence that brief interventions are effective in reducing overall alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems, and health-care utilisation among nondependent problem drinkers. Psychologists are in an ideal position to opportunistically detect people who drink excessively and to offer them brief advice to reduce their drinking. In this paper we outline the process involved in providing brief opportunistic screening and intervention for problem drinkers. We also discuss methods that psychologists can employ if a client is not ready to reduce drinking, or is ambivalent about change. Depending on the client's level of motivation to change, psychologists can engage in either an education-clarification approach, a commitment-enhancement approach, or a skills-training approach. Routine engagement in opportunistic intervention is an important public-health approach to reducing alcohol-related harm in the community.

A nested real-time PCR assay has an increased sensitivity suitable for detection of viruses in aerosol studies

Aims: Influenza is commonly spread by infectious aerosols; however, detection of viruses in aerosols is not sensitive enough to confirm the characteristics of virus aerosols. The aim of this study was to develop an assay for respiratory viruses sufficiently sensitive to be used in epidemiological studies. Method: A two-step, nested real-time PCR assay was developed for MS2 bacteriophage, and for influenza A and B, parainfluenza 1 and human respiratory syncytial virus. Outer primer pairs were designed to nest each existing real-time PCR assay. The sensitivities of the nested real-time PCR assays were compared to those of existing real-time PCR assays. Both assays were applied in an aerosol study to compare their detection limits in air samples. Conclusions: The nested real-time PCR assays were found to be several logs more sensitive than the real-time PCR assays, with lower levels of virus detected at lower Ct values. The nested real-time PCR assay successfully detected MS2 in air samples, whereas the real-time assay did not. Significance and Impact of the Study: The sensitive assays for respiratory viruses will permit further research using air samples from naturally generated virus aerosols. This will inform current knowledge regarding the risks associated with the spread of viruses through aerosol transmission.

Assessment of Health Impacts of Heatwaves in Brisbane, Australia : How to Best Define A Heatwave?

Background and Objective: As global warming continues, the frequency, intensity and duration of heatwaves are likely to increase. However, a heatwave is unlikely to be defined uniformly because acclimatisation plays a significant role in determining the heat-related impact. This study investigated how to best define a heatwave in Brisbane, Australia. Methods: Computerised datasets on daily weather, air pollution and health outcomes between 1996 and 2005 were obtained from pertinent government agencies. Paired t-tests and case-crossover analyses were performed to assess the relationship between heatwaves and health outcomes using different heatwave definitions. Results: The maximum temperature was as high as 41.5°C with a mean maximum daily temperature of 26.3°C. None of the five commonly-used heatwave definitions suited Brisbane well on the basis of the health effects of heatwaves. Additionally, there were pros and cons when locally-defined definitions were attempted using either a relative or absolute definition for extreme temperatures. Conclusion: The issue of how to best define a heatwave is complex. It is important to identify an appropriate definition of heatwave locally and to understand its health effects.

Improved detection and tracking of objects in surveillance video

Surveillance networks are typically monitored by a few people, viewing several monitors displaying the camera feeds. It is then very difficult for a human operator to effectively detect events as they happen. Recently, computer vision research has begun to address ways to automatically process some of this data, to assist human operators. Object tracking, event recognition, crowd analysis and human identification at a distance are being pursued as a means to aid human operators and improve the security of areas such as transport hubs. The task of object tracking is key to the effective use of more advanced technologies. To recognize an event people and objects must be tracked. Tracking also enhances the performance of tasks such as crowd analysis or human identification. Before an object can be tracked, it must be detected. Motion segmentation techniques, widely employed in tracking systems, produce a binary image in which objects can be located. However, these techniques are prone to errors caused by shadows and lighting changes. Detection routines often fail, either due to erroneous motion caused by noise and lighting effects, or due to the detection routines being unable to split occluded regions into their component objects. Particle filters can be used as a self contained tracking system, and make it unnecessary for the task of detection to be carried out separately except for an initial (often manual) detection to initialise the filter. Particle filters use one or more extracted features to evaluate the likelihood of an object existing at a given point each frame. Such systems however do not easily allow for multiple objects to be tracked robustly, and do not explicitly maintain the identity of tracked objects. This dissertation investigates improvements to the performance of object tracking algorithms through improved motion segmentation and the use of a particle filter. A novel hybrid motion segmentation / optical flow algorithm, capable of simultaneously extracting multiple layers of foreground and optical flow in surveillance video frames is proposed. The algorithm is shown to perform well in the presence of adverse lighting conditions, and the optical flow is capable of extracting a moving object. The proposed algorithm is integrated within a tracking system and evaluated using the ETISEO (Evaluation du Traitement et de lInterpretation de Sequences vidEO - Evaluation for video understanding) database, and significant improvement in detection and tracking performance is demonstrated when compared to a baseline system. A Scalable Condensation Filter (SCF), a particle filter designed to work within an existing tracking system, is also developed. The creation and deletion of modes and maintenance of identity is handled by the underlying tracking system; and the tracking system is able to benefit from the improved performance in uncertain conditions arising from occlusion and noise provided by a particle filter. The system is evaluated using the ETISEO database. The dissertation then investigates fusion schemes for multi-spectral tracking systems. Four fusion schemes for combining a thermal and visual colour modality are evaluated using the OTCBVS (Object Tracking and Classification in and Beyond the Visible Spectrum) database. It is shown that a middle fusion scheme yields the best results and demonstrates a significant improvement in performance when compared to a system using either mode individually. Findings from the thesis contribute to improve the performance of semi-automated video processing and therefore improve security in areas under surveillance.

Rethinking the notion of culture in the national history curriculum

Major global changes are placing new demands on the Australian education system. Recent statements by the Prime Minister, together with current education policy and national curriculum documents available in the public domain, look to education’s role in promoting economic prosperity and social cohesion. Collectively, they emphasise the need to equip young Australians with the knowledge, understandings and skills required to compete in the global economy and participate as engaged citizens in a culturally diverse world. However, the decision to prioritise discipline-based learning in the forthcoming Australian history curriculum without specifically encompassing culture as a referent, raises the following question. How will students acquire the cultural knowledge, understandings and skills necessary for this process? This paper addresses this question by situating the current push for a national history curriculum, with specific reference to the study of Indigenous history and the study of Asia in Australia.

Slice of Brisbane in family shadows

Review of 'The True Story of Butterfish', Brisbane Festival / Brisbane Powerhouse, published in The Australian, 6 October 2009.

Spatial restructuring of cities in the age of knowledge economy : insights from Australian cities

In the age of knowledge economy, knowledge production, and where, how and by whom it is produced, has become one of the most important factors in determining the quality of life and competitiveness of a city. In different parts of the world, cities that are the centres of knowledge production are branded under different names, e.g. knowledge city, creative city, ubiquitous eco city, smart city. This paper focuses on the core building block of these cities: ‘knowledge precincts’ that are the catalytic magnet infrastructures impacting knowledge production. The paper discusses the increasing importance of knowledge-based urban development within the paradigm of knowledge economy, and the role of knowledge community precincts as an instrument to seed the foundation of knowledge production. This paper explores knowledge based urban development, particularly knowledge community precinct development, potentials of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and benchmarks them against Boston. The paper also draws conclusions and recommendations for other cities considering knowledge based development.

The role of intermediaries in the implementation and development of asynchronous rural access

In Orissa state, India, the DakNet system supports asynchronous Internet communication between an urban hub and rural nodes. DakNet is noteworthy in many respects, not least in how the system leverages existing transport infrastructure. Wi-Fi transceivers mounted on local buses send and receive user data from roadside kiosks, for later transfer to/from the Internet via wireless protocols. This store-and-forward system allows DakNet to offer asynchronous communication capacity to rural users at low cost. The original ambition of the DakNet system was to provide email and SMS facilities to rural communities. Our 2008 study of the communicative ecology surrounding the DakNet system revealed that this ambition has now evolved – in response to market demand – to the extent that e-shopping (rather than email) has become the primary driver behind the DakNet offer.

Role of exercise in the prevention and management of lymphedema after breast cancer

Swelling or lymphedema of the limb, trunk, or breast is considered the most problematic and dreaded concern after treatment for breast cancer and has significant physical, psychological, and social ramifications. Conservative incidence estimates suggest that 20%-30% of breast cancer survivors will experience lymphedema, with the majority of cases (up to 80%) occurring within the first year after surgery. The etiology of secondary lymphedema seems to be multifactorial, with acquired abnormalities as well as preexisting conditions being contributory factors.