Indigenous climate change adaption in the Port Philip Bay region : a longitudinal investigation into the physical and cultural transformation of the bay from an indigenous and landscape architectural perspective

Currently there is a dearth of research into Australian Indigenous knowledge and their understanding of climate change especially in regard to how it fits into their world view. Recent discussions by the National Climate Change Adaptation Research facility (NCCARF) have highlighted this deficiency but also the need to source relevant research projects that may address this knowledge and perspective, and enable the incorporation of Traditional ecological Knowledge into the planning climate change adaptions strategies in the Port Phillip Bay region thereby increasing their engagement in this discussion. Within this context, this paper examines the use and understanding of landscape, both urban and regional, surrounding Port Phillip Bay and the risks and opportunities climate change adaptation brings to the local Indigenous communities. It synthesises focused interviews with the (Wurundjeri (Yarra Valley), Wathaurong Geelong-Bellarine Peninsular) & Boon Wurrung (Mornington Peninsula)) to elicit a contemporary and local response to issues raised by NCCARF but importantly to articulate a possible Indigenous position about the formation, change and direction that Port Phillip Bay and its environs should take from their perspectives. Research draws upon how these communities have adapted to climate change physically, mentally and spiritually over their long habitation of a shared geological asset and their perceptions of climate change in respect to forecasting and adapting to climate change for this century. The project looks to uncover a longitudinal perspective of change and adaptation focused upon Indigenous views of ‘country’ and traditional custodial obligations to ‘country’ including accumulated cultural and environmental histories.

Surface modification and properties analysis of shell powder with sodium stearate surface modifier

In this study, shell powder was modified by sodium stearate surface modifier for improving the compatibility of SP with polymer materials. The surface modifiers influence on the physical and chemical properties of SP were studied by scanning electron microscope(SEM), fourier infrared spectrum(FT-IR), surface contact angle meter, XRD diffraction analysis meter and other modern instruments and analysis method. The results showed that the surface modifier was successfully coupled to the shell powder surface. After surface modifier modification, the interfacial compatibility of the shell powder with polymer materials was effectively improved. The contact angle of shell powder surface increased from 73.5 ° to 110.8 °, along with the dosage of sodium stearate surface modifier was 4.0%. All results suggested that modified shell powder is promising for using as a reinforcement filler in polymer materials. © (2014) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland.

Co-morbid depression and chronic illness related to coping and physical and mental health status

A partial latent structural regression analysis was used to evaluate the role of coping resources, depression, diet and exercise on mental and physical health status. The sample consisted of 113 participants (59 females and 54 males) with a mean age of 59.38 years (SD = 10.52). Coping resources, depression and exercise explained 52 and 26% of the variance in mental and physical health status, respectively. Fewer coping resources predicted higher levels of depression and both predicted worse mental health. Only higher levels of depression predicted worse physical health status. There were also significant indirect effects of coping on mental and physical health status through depression. The development of cognitive, social and emotional coping strategies is important for managing depression and supporting positive mental health. These results highlight the important role of health psychologists in the care of individuals with chronic illness. Additionally, the management of depression is important in maintaining positive physical health.

In-situ and tunable nitrogen-doping of MoS2 nanosheets.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets have unique physical and chemical properties, which make it a perfect candidate for next generation electronic and energy storage applications. Herein, we show the successful synthesis of nitrogen-doped MoS2 nanosheets by a simple, effective and large-scale approach. MoS2 nanosheets synthesised by this method show a porous structure formed by curled and overlapped nanosheets with well-defined edges. Analysis of the nanosheets shows that they have an enlarged interlayer distance and high specific surface area. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis shows the nanosheets have Mo-N bond indicating successful nitrogen doping. The nitrogen content of the product can be modulated by adjusting the ratio of starting materials easily within the range from ca. 5.8 to 7.6 at%.

Physical and psychosocial wellbeing of nurses in a regional Queensland hospital

Occupational stress is common among nurses. Two factors that may influence stress levels are diet and physical activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the diets and physical activity levels of nurses and to quantify the relationships between these behaviours and anxiety, depressed mood, stress, and burnout. Nurses (N = 52) from one regional hospital completed a survey assessing physical activity, nutrition, and psychological functioning. Almost two-thirds (65%) of participants had met recommended levels of both moderate and vigorous physical activity in the week prior. Participants met recommended levels for fruit, but not vegetable, consumption. Burnout and stress levels were close to norms for physicians and nurses. Scores for depressed mood, anxiety, and stress symptoms were within one standard deviation of norms for the Australian adult population. Several moderately sized correlations were found between the psychological constructs measured and both physical activity and nutrition. Although most of the participants were physically active and seemed to be consuming nutritious diets, some nurses may need encouragement to adopt similarly healthy behaviours.

Palinurid lobster aquaculture: nutritional progress and considerations for successful larval rearing

The closed-cycle rearing of palinurid lobsters in commercially relevant quantities currently represents one of the most difficult challenges facing modern-day aquaculture. The length and complexity of the larval life cycle exacerbate the problem, comprising the major bottleneck to their successful aquaculture. The general consensus is that developments in the key research area of nutrition will provide the necessary breakthroughs to make the closed-cycle rearing of lobster a reality. Due to the cryptic nature of feeding preferences and complex larval morphology, a commercially formulated feed for their culture does currently not exist. Nevertheless, there has been a wealth of research conducted to elucidate many of the unknowns concerning larval nutritional requirements. This review presents a synthesis of this information, ranging from investigations of larval morphology and feeding behaviour, hatchery nutrition practices, the elucidation of wild prey items and the nutritional content of wild-caught larval species. Based on the information available, this review culminates with a ‘best guess’ formulation for a larval spiny lobster diet, taking aspects concerning both the physical and chemical attributes of formulation into consideration. It is concluded that larval spiny lobsters are likely comparatively low in relation to other larval species with respect to their quantitative dietary requirements. Ultimately, the overall success of the larval cycle appears to be dictated by the stockpiling of lipids to fuel an energy-demanding metamorphosis and a subsequent nonfeeding puerulus phase. These insights provide valuable direction for the formulation of nutritionally complete feeds to permit the closed-loop culture of spiny lobster species.

Time - Dependency of chloride diffusion in concrete: a brief review and preliminary results

Abstract
Chloride ingress into concrete has long been known to decrease the service life of built infrastructure. Inadequate knowledge of the physical reasons associated with chloride diffusion into concrete could generate chloride penetration profiles that become meaningless for prediction of service life. In this study, the effects of pore closure (physical effect) and changes in chloride binding (chemical effect) on chloride diffusion through Australian General Purpose (GP) cement pastes were investigated. Through - diffusion tests and “in - and - out” diffusion tests were conducted to monitor the time - dependent chloride diffusion through cement pastes cured from 1 to 28 days. The through - diffusion test quantified the overall chloride diffusion behaviour at different stages of cement hydration, which was a combined result of physical and chemical processes controlling diffusion. The “in - and - out” test differentiated the contributions of the physical and chemical processes on the chloride diffusion at different stages of cement hydration. As expected, the reduction of chloride diffusivity was significant during the first two weeks of curing, most likely attributed to the significant reduction of porosity as well as establishment of capillary discontinuities within the pore structure. It was also observed that the amount of bound chloride was not constant but increased significantly from 1 to 28 days of curing age.

Rapid effects of essential fatty acid deficiency on growth and development parameters and transcription of key fatty acid metabolism genes in juvenile barramundi (Lates calcarifer)

Barramundi (Lates calcarifer), a catadromous teleost of significant and growing commercial importance, are reported to have limited fatty acid bioconversion capability and therefore require preformed long-chain PUFA (LC-PUFA) as dietary essential fatty acid (EFA). In this study, the response of juvenile barramundi (47·0 g/fish initial weight) fed isolipidic and isoenergetic diets with 8·2 % added oil was tested. The experimental test diets were either devoid of fish oil (FO), and thus with no n-3 LC-PUFA (FO FREE diet), or with a low inclusion of FO (FO LOW diet). These were compared against a control diet containing only FO (FO CTRL diet) as the added lipid source, over an 8-week period. Interim samples and measurements were taken fortnightly during the trial in order to define the aetiology of the onset and progression of EFA deficiency. After 2 weeks, the fish fed the FO FREE and FO LOW diets had significantly lower live-weights, and after 8 weeks significant differences were detected for all performance parameters. The fish fed the FO FREE diet also had a significantly higher incidence of external abnormalities. The transcription of several genes involved in fatty acid metabolism was affected after 2 weeks of feeding, showing a rapid nutritional regulation. This experiment documents the aetiology of the onset and the progression of EFA deficiency in juvenile barramundi and demonstrates that such deficiencies can be detected within 2 weeks in juvenile fish.

Sensitivity of the final properties of tailored hot stamping components to the process and material parameters

The final mechanical properties of hot stamped components are affected by many process and material parameters due to the multidisciplinary nature of this thermal-mechanical-metallurgical process. The phase transformation, which depends on the temperature field and history, determines the final microstructure and consequently the final mechanical properties. Tailored hot stamping parts - where the cooling rates are locally chosen to achieve structures with graded properties - has been increasingly adopted in the automotive industry. In this case, the robustness of final part properties is more critical than in the conventional hot stamping parts, where the part is fully quenched. In this study, a wide range of input parameters in a generalized hot stamping model have been investigated, examining the effect on the temperature history and resulting final material properties. A generic thermo-mechanical finite element model of hot stamping was created and a modified phase transformation model, based on Scheil's additive principle, has been applied. The comparison between modeling and experiments shows that the modified phase transformation model coupled with the incubation time provides higher accuracy on the simulation of transformation kinetics history. The robustness of four conditions relevant to tailored hot stamping was investigated: heated tooling (with low and high tool conductance), air cooling, and conventional hot stamping. The results show the high robustness of the conventional hot stamping compared to tailored hot stamping, with respect to the stamped component's final material properties (i.e. phase fraction and hardness). Furthermore, tailored hot stamping showed higher robustness when low conductivity tools are used relative to high conductivity tools.