A preliminary analysis of Australian Government’s Indigenous reform agenda ‘Closing the Gap’ and corporate accountability

This chapter provides a preliminary analysis of Australian Government’s reform agenda popularly known as ‘Closing the Gap’.” Closing the Gap” sets a commitment by all Australian governments to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians, and in particular provide a better future for indigenous children. This article discusses how the coalition of Australian Governments prepared this agenda and how this program involves Australian corporations in this task. Our observations suggest that another reform is required for the government to mandate corporate involvement and contribution to this reform agenda.

Preliminary Studies of Practicability of Laminar Plasma Surface Treatment Process

The basic remelting and cladding tests with laminar plasma technology on metals have been conducted in order to demonstrate the possibility of the technology applied in material surface modification. The experimental results show that the properties of the modified layers of the cast iron surface can be improved notably by the remelting treatment and those of the stainless steel by the cladding treatment. The related results are also verified by microscopic studies such as scanning electron microscopic (SEM) observations, energy dispersive spectra (EDS) analysis and the Vickers hardness measurements of the surface modified layers.

Preliminary Investigations on Low-Pressure Laminar Plasma Spray Processing

The usual plasma spraying methods often involve entrainment of the surrounding air into the turbulent plasma core and result in coated materials having relatively high porosity and low adhesive strength. Therefore, exploration of new plasma spraying methods for fabricating high quality coatings to meet the requirement of special applications will be quite important. In this study, an alternative plasma spraying method, i.e. the low-pressure laminar plasma spraying process, is investigated and used in an attempt for spraying thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). Investigations on the characteristics of the laminar plasma jets, feeding methods for the ceramic powder and the formation process of the individual quenched splats have been carried out. The properties of the TBCs sprayed by laminar plasma jet process, such as the adhesive strength at the interface of the ceramic coating/bond coat, the surface roughness and microstructure, are examined by tensile tests and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations.

Observations on the distribution, daytime migrations and daily food intake rates of Chaoborus flavicans (Meigen) in the Goggausee [Translation from: Carinthia II 165(85), 184-190, 1975]

The Goggausee, in spite of its modest depth (Zmax = 12 metres), shows meromictic properties: autumn and spring circulation extend only to a depth of 8 metres. The water layers below about 10 metres are constantly oxygen-free, the critical zone with at least intermittent oxygen loss lies at a depth of between 6 and 10 metres. A limnological excursion in May 1974 offered an opportunity to investigate the daily vertical migration of the species Chaoborus flavicans with reference to its food supply of zooplankton as well as the chance to carry out some preliminary experiments on its rate of food intake. Among the studied features were the planktonic depth distribution of Chaoborus flavicans and the food intake of Chaoborus larvae under experimental conditions.

Some observations on washout of brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) eggs in Teesdale streams

Brown trout (Salmo trutta) in Teesdale lay their eggs in the streambed gravels in the Autumn, here the eggs slowly develop to emerge as young fry in the Spring. Whilst the eggs are in the gravel they are vulnerable to displacement by high water velocities. Eggs removed in this way are not thought to remain viable since they are very susceptible to death through physical shock - especially in the earlier stages of development. Streams in Teesdale are known to be amongst the most flashy in England and thus are good sites in which to study egg washout. Three field sites were used for the study of egg washout in Teesdale - Great Eggleshope, Thorsgill and Carl becks. This report describes preliminary studies of a varied nature into this subject from which an attempt is made to assess the importance of egg washout to the survival of brown trout in Teesdale.

A preliminary description of climatology in the western United States

We describe the climatology of the western United States as seen from two 1-month perspectives, January and July 1988, of the National Meteorological Center large-scale global analysis, the Colorado State University Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS), and various station observation sets. An advantage of the NMC analysis and the RAMS is that they provide a continuous field interpolation of the meteorological variables. It is more difficult to describe spatial meteorological fields from the available sparse station networks. We assess accuracy of the NMC analysis and RAMS by finding differences between the analysis, the model, and station values at the stations. From these comparisons, we find that RAMS has much more well-developed mesoscale circulation, especially in the surface wind field. However, RAMS climatological and transient fields do not appear to be substantially closer than the larger-scale analysis to the station observations. The RAMS model does provide other meteorological variables, such as precipitation, which are not readily available from the archives of the global analysis. Thus, RAMS could, at the least, be a tool to augment the NMC large-scale analyses.

A preliminary account and review of the simple methods for determining the operational parameters of fishing gear, underwater, with notes on its application

An account and review of the simple methods for determining the operational parameters of fishing gear, underwater, such a tilt of otter boards (outwards or inwards, forwards or afterwards), vertical height of net, its horizontal spread, angle of divergence at bosom, spread between wing tips, angle of inclination of danlenos, butterfly, slope of legs and sweep-line has been given. The relationship of distance between the otter boards spread and the vertical height of net has been obtained as generally linear. The possibilities of regulating the vertical height of net (dependent variate) and spread of otter boards (independent variate) for increasing the fishing efficiency has been discussed. The angle of attack of oval shaped otter boards used during the operations still remain undetermined, however, it has been explained how the best angle of attack for increasing the efficiency of gear can be obtained by regulating the ratio of depth to warp for a given net. The inadequacy of the mere indices of catch per hour of trawling in comparing the relative efficiency of trawls in gear research studies has been indicated. The importance of estimating the operational parameters and its application to commercial fisheries depending upon the distribution pattern of fish and in gear research has been discussed. The efficiency of the jelly bottle method has been compared statistically with the observations made on the trawl gear underwater with instruments.

PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE HABITATS OF PRESBYTIS-FRANCOISI AND PRESBYTIS-LEUCOCEPHALUS, WITH NOTES ON THE ACTIVITY PATTERN OF PRESBYTIS-LEUCOCEPHALUS

In this paper the habitat structure and ecology of Presbytis francoisi and Presbytis leucocephalus are compared. Observations were made of the two langur species in areas of southwest Guangxi province in which the langurs occur but are not sympatric. The results showed that the habitat of P. leucocephalus differs from that of P. francoisi and that the habitat in western areas was different from that in eastern areas in terms of vegetation and other criteria. P. francoisi was limited in its distribution to localities at higher altitudes, in contrast to P. leucocephalus. This may be due to human activities such as crop cultivation and logging. With respect to its activity pattern, P. leucocephalus spent 51.8% of its day in the trees and 48.2% on the rocky substrate. The results of this study suggest that Presbytis may best be regarded as a semiarboreal form.

Preliminary laboratory-scale model auger installation and testing of carbonated soil-MgO columns

This paper presents details of the installation and performance of carbonated soil-MgO columns using a laboratory-scale model auger setup. MgO grout was mixed with the soil using the auger and the columns were then carbonated with gaseous CO2 introduced in two different ways: one using auger mixing and the other through a perforated plastic tube system inserted into the treated column. The performance of the columns in terms of unconfined compressive strength (UCS), stiffness, strain at failure and microstructure (using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy) showed that the soil-MgO columns were carbonated very quickly (in under 1 h) and yielded relatively high strength values, of 2.4-9.4 MPa, which on average were five times that of corresponding 28-day ambient cured uncarbonated columns. This confirmed, together with observations of dense microstructure and hydrated magnesium carbonates, that a good degree of carbonation had taken place. The results also showed that the carbonation method and period have a significant effect on the resulting performance, with the carbonation through the perforated pipe producing the best results. Copyright © 2013 by ASTM International.

Maintenance of abyssal benthic foraminifera under high pressure and low temperature: some preliminary results

Abyssal benthic foraminifera have been maintained alive for periods of several weeks under laboratory simulated deep-sea conditions of high pressure and low temperature. In separate experiments, bacterial-sized fluorescent microspheres and three species of microalgae were supplied as food particles. Subsequent light and electron microscopy showed that the algae had been ingested by several foraminiferal species. Furthermore, the fine structure of the foraminiferal cytoplasm was well-preserved which indicates, along with the ingestion of algal food, that they had remained in a viable condition during the incubation. Other observations indicate that abyssal benthic foraminifera ingest naturally occurring photosynthetic cells carried to the deep-sea bed by rapidly sedimenting aggregates. The ability to keep foraminifera originating from depths exceeding 4000 m alive in the laboratory paves the way for the experimental investigation of some important issues in deep-sea biology and palaeoceanography.

Optical observations of 23 distant Jupiter Family Comets, including 36P/Whipple at multiple phase angles

We present photometry on 23 Jupiter Family Comets (JFCs) observed at large heliocentric distance, primarily using the 2.5-m Isaac Newton Telescope (INT). Snapshot images were taken of 17 comets, of which five were not detected, three were active and nine were unresolved and apparently inactive. These include 103P/Hartley 2, the target of the NASA Deep Impact extended mission, EPOXI. For six comets we obtained time-series photometry and use this to constrain the shape and rotation period of these nuclei. The data are not of sufficient quantity or quality to measure precise rotation periods, but the time-series do allow us to measure accurate effective radii and surface colours. Of the comets observed over an extended period, 40P/Väisälä 1, 47P/Ashbrook-Jackson and P/2004 H2 (Larsen) showed faint activity which limited the study of the nucleus. Light curves for 94P/Russell 4 and 121P/Shoemaker-Holt 2 reveal rotation periods of around 33 and 10h, respectively, although in both cases these are not unique solutions. 94P was observed to have a large range in magnitudes implying that it is one of the most elongated nuclei known, with an axial ratio a/b >= 3. 36P/Whipple was observed at five different epochs, with the INT and ESO's 3.6-m NTT, primarily in an attempt to confirm the preliminary short rotation period apparent in the first data set. The combined data set shows that the rotation period is actually longer than 24h. A measurement of the phase function of 36P's nucleus gives a relatively steep ß = 0.060 +/- 0.019. Finally, we discuss the distribution of surface colours observed in JFC nuclei, and show that it is possible to trace the evolution of colours from the Kuiper Belt Object (KBO) population to the JFC population by applying a `dereddening' function to the KBO colour distribution.

A Hundred Comets: The Visual-Wavelength Observations of the Survey of Ensemble Physical Properties of Cometary Nuclei (SEPPCoN)

We present new results from SEPPCoN, a Survey of Ensemble Physical Properties of Cometary Nuclei. This project is currently surveying 100 Jupiter-family comets (JFCs) to measure the mid-infrared thermal emission and visible reflected sunlight of the nuclei. The scientific goal is to determine the distributions of radius, geometric albedo, thermal inertia, axial ratio, and color among the JFC nuclei. In the past we have presented results from the completed mid-IR observations of our sample [1]; here we present preliminary results from ongoing, broadband visible-wavelength observations of nuclei obtained from a variety of ground-based facilities (Mauna Kea, Cerro Pachon, La Silla, La Palma, Apache Point, Table Mtn., and Palomar Mtn.), including contributions from the Near Earth Asteroid Telescope project (NEAT) archive. The nuclei were observed at high heliocentric distance (usually over 4 AU) and so many comets show either no or little contamination from dust coma. While several nuclei have been observed as snapshots, we have multiepoch photometry for many of our targets. With our datasets we are building a large database of photometry, and such a database is essential to the derivation of albedo and shape of a large number of nuclei, and to the understanding of biases in the survey. Support for this work was provided by NSF and the NASA Planetary Astronomy program. Reference: [1] Fernandez, Y.R., et al. 2007, BAAS 39, 827.

The pattern of fall of serum bilirubin after operative relief of obstructive jaundice. A preliminary report

This is the beginning of a prospective study on patients who have obstructive jaundice to see how the serum bilirubin falls after operative relief of the obstruction. Seven of such patients have been studied; four had carcinoma of the head of the pancreas while the other three had choledocholithiasis. The patients with carcinoma had relief of the jaundice through a biliary-enteric anastomosis and those with common bile duct stones had choledochotomy with stone extraction which was completed with insertion of a T-tube. Serial bilirubin estimations were then performed post-operatively to chart the pattern and rate of descent of this in each patient. Our observations suggest that the pattern of fall of serum bilirubin after successful decompression of the extra-hepatic biliary tree exhibit a distinct pattern regardless of the surgical procedure performed for the relief of the obstruction.

Disturbances in early parenting of depressed mothers and cortisol secretion in offspring: A preliminary study

Background: Disturbances in cortisol secretion are associated with risk for psychiatric disorder, including depression. Animal research indicates that early care experiences influence hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning in offspring. Similar effects are suggested in human development, but evidence of longitudinal associations between observed early parenting and offspring cortisol secretion is extremely limited. We studied associations between parenting disturbances occurring in the context of maternal postnatal depression (PND), and elevations in morning cortisol secretion in the adolescent offspring of PND mothers. Methods: We observed maternal parenting behaviour on four occasions through the first year and at five-year follow up in postnatally depressed (n = 29) and well (n = 20) mothers. Observations were coded for maternal sensitivity and withdrawal. Basal offspring salivary cortisol secretion was measured at 13-years, using collections over 10-days. Results: Postnatal, but not five-year, maternal withdrawal predicted elevated mean and maximum morning cortisol secretion in 13-year-old offspring. There were no significant associations between maternal sensitivity and offspring cortisol secretion. Limitations: The sample size was relatively small, and effects tended to be reduced to trend level when covariates were considered. The correlational nature of the study (albeit longitudinal) limits conclusions regarding causality. Conclusions: Individual differences in early maternal parenting behaviour may influence offspring cortisol secretion, and thereby risk for depression. Parenting interventions that facilitate active maternal engagement with the infant may be indicated for high risk populations.

A novel satellite mission concept for upper air water vapour, aerosol and cloud observations using integrated path differential absorption LiDAR limb sounding

We propose a new satellite mission to deliver high quality measurements of upper air water vapour. The concept centres around a LiDAR in limb sounding by occultation geometry, designed to operate as a very long path system for differential absorption measurements. We present a preliminary performance analysis with a system sized to send 75 mJ pulses at 25 Hz at four wavelengths close to 935 nm, to up to 5 microsatellites in a counter-rotating orbit, carrying retroreflectors characterized by a reflected beam divergence of roughly twice the emitted laser beam divergence of 15 µrad. This provides water vapour profiles with a vertical sampling of 110 m; preliminary calculations suggest that the system could detect concentrations of less than 5 ppm. A secondary payload of a fairly conventional medium resolution multispectral radiometer allows wide-swath cloud and aerosol imaging. The total weight and power of the system are estimated at 3 tons and 2,700 W respectively. This novel concept presents significant challenges, including the performance of the lasers in space, the tracking between the main spacecraft and the retroreflectors, the refractive effects of turbulence, and the design of the telescopes to achieve a high signal-to-noise ratio for the high precision measurements. The mission concept was conceived at the Alpbach Summer School 2010.