Improving the efficiency of wildlife monitoring by estimating detectability: a case study of foxes (Vulpes vulpes) on the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia

Demonstrating the existence of trends in monitoring data is of increasing practical importance to conservation managers wishing to preserve threatened species or reduce the impact of pest species. However, the ability to do so can be compromised if the species in question has low detectability and the true occupancy level or abundance of the species is thus obscured. Zero-inflated models that explicitly model detectability improve the ability to make sound ecological inference in such situations. In this paper we apply an occupancy model including detectability to data from the initial stages of a fox-monitoring program on the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia. We find that detectability is extremely low (< 18%) and varies according to season and the presence or absence of roadside vegetation. We show that simple methods of using monitoring data to inform management, such as plotting the raw data or performing logistic regression, fail to accurately diagnose either the status of the fox population or its trajectory over time. We use the results of the detectability model to consider how future monitoring could be redesigned to achieve efficiency gains. A wide range of monitoring programs could benefit from similar analyses, as part of an active adaptive approach to improving monitoring and management.

Comparison of active venom components between Eastern brown snakes collected from South Australia and Queensland

The abundance and activity of the prothrombin activator (pseutarin C) within the venom of the Eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis textilis) is the primary determinant of its coagulation potency. Textilinin-1, also in this venom, is a plasmin inhibitor which is thought to exert its toxic effects through the slowing of fibrinolysis. The aim of this report is to determine if there are differences in the potency of the venom from Eastern brown snakes collected from South Australia (SA) compared to those from Queensland (QLD). A concentration of 0.4 mu g/ml venom protein from six QLD specimens clotted citrated plasma in an average time of 21.4 +/- 3.3 s compared to 68.7 +/- 2.4 s for the same amount of SA venom (averaged for six individuals). The more potent procoagulant activity of the QLD venom was measured between 0.4 and 94 mu g/ml venom protein in plasma. The anti-plasmin activity of textilinin was also greater in the venom of the snakes collected from QLD, causing full inhibition of plasmin at approximately 1.88 mu g/ml of venom protein compared to approximately 7.5 mu g/ml for the SA venoms. It is concluded that geographic differentiation of the Eastern brown snakes results in significant differences venom potency.

The continuing use of complementary and alternative medicine in South Australia: costs and beliefs in 2004

Objective: To survey the use, cost, beliefs and quality of life of users of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Design: A representative population survey conducted in 2004 with longitudinal comparison to similar 1993 and 2000 surveys. Participants: 3015 South Australian respondents over the age of 15 years (71.7% participation). Results: In 2004, CAMs were used by 52.2% of the population. Greatest use was in women aged 25-34 years, with higher income and education levels. CAM therapists had been visited by 26.5% of the population. In those with children, 29.9% administered CAMs to them and 17.5% of the children had visited CAM therapists. The total extrapolated cost in Australia of CAMs and CAM therapists in 2004 was AUD$1.8 billion, which was a decrease from AUD$2.3 billion in 2000. CAMs were used mostly to maintain general health. The users of CAM had lower quality-of-life scores than non-users. Among CAM users, 49.7% used conventional medicines on the same day and 57.2% did not report the use of CAMs to their doctor. About half of the respondents assumed that CAMs were independently tested by a government agency; of these, 74.8% believed they were tested for quality and safety, 21.8% for what they claimed, and 17.9% for efficacy. Conclusions: Australians continue to use high levels of CAMs and CAM therapists. The public is often unaware that CAMs are not tested by the Therapeutic Goods Administration for efficacy or safety.

Construction of an Intraplate Fault System Model of South Australia, and Simulation Tool for the iSERVO Institute Seed Project

To foster ongoing international cooperation beyond ACES (APEC Cooperation for Earthquake Simulation) on the simulation of solid earth phenomena, agreement was reached to work towards establishment of a frontier international research institute for simulating the solid earth: iSERVO = International Solid Earth Research Virtual Observatory institute (http://www.iservo.edu.au). This paper outlines a key Australian contribution towards the iSERVO institute seed project, this is the construction of: (1) a typical intraplate fault system model using practical fault system data of South Australia (i.e., SA interacting fault model), which includes data management and editing, geometrical modeling and mesh generation; and (2) a finite-element based software tool, which is built on our long-term and ongoing effort to develop the R-minimum strategy based finite-element computational algorithm and software tool for modelling three-dimensional nonlinear frictional contact behavior between multiple deformable bodies with the arbitrarily-shaped contact element strategy. A numerical simulation of the SA fault system is carried out using this software tool to demonstrate its capability and our efforts towards seeding the iSERVO Institute.

The Composition of Holocene Aeolianites; Western Eyre Peninsula, Great Australian Bight, South Australia

The Australian southern continental margin is the world’s largest site of cool-water carbonate deposition, and the Great Australian Bight is its largest sector. The Eyre Peninsula is fringed by coastal beaches with aeolianites and marks the eastern edge of the Great Australian Bight. Five shoreline transects of varying lengths spanned a 150km longitudinal distance and at each the intertidal, beach, dune and secondary dune environments were sampled, for a total of 18 samples. Sediments are a mixture of modern, relict, and Cenozoic carbonates, and quartz grains. Carbonate aeolianites on the western Eyre Peninsula are mostly composed of modern carbonate grains: predominantly molluscs (23-33%) and benthic foraminifera (10-26%), locally abundant coralline algae (3-28%), echinoids (2-22%), and bryozoans (2-14%). Cenozoic grain abundance ranges from 1-6% whereas relict grain abundance ranges from 0-17%. A southward increase in bryozoan particles correlates with a nutrient element abundance and decrease in temperature due to a large seasonal coastal upwelling system that drives 2-3 major upwelling events per year, bringing cold, nutrient rich, Sub-Antarctic Surface Water (<12°C) onto the shelf. In southern, mostly wind protected locations, the beach and dune sediment compositions are similar, indicating that wind energy has successfully carried all sediment components of the beach into the adjacent dunes. In northern, exposed locations, the composition is not the same everywhere, and trends indicate that relative wind energy has the ability to impact grain composition through preferential wind transport. Aeolianite composition is therefore a function of both upwelling and the degree of coastal exposure.

Provenance of Holocene Calcareous Aeolianites, Eastern South Australia

The southeastern coast of South Australia contains a spectacular and world-renown suite of Quaternary calcareous aeolianites. This study is focused on the provenance of components in the Holocene sector of this carbonate breach-dune succession. Research was carried out along seven transects from ~30 meters water depth offshore across the beach and into the dunes. Offshore sediments were acquired via grab sampling and SCUBA. Results indicate that dunes of the southern Lacepede and Otway coasts in particular are mostly composed of modern invertebrate and calcareous algal allochems. The most numerous grains are from molluscs, benthic foraminifera, coralline algae, echinoids, and bryozoans. These particles originate in carbonate factories such as macroalgal forests, rocky reefs, seagrass meadows, and low-relief seafloor rockgrounds. The incorporation of carbonate skeletons into coastal dunes, however, depends on a combination of; 1) the infauna within intertidal and nearshore environments, 2) the physical characteristics of different allochems and their ability to withstand fragmentation and abrasion, 3) the wave and swell climate, and 4) the nature of aeolian transport. Most aeolian dune sediment is derived from nearshore and intertidal carbonate factories. This is particularly well illustrated by the abundance of robust infaunal bivalves that inhabit the nearshore sands and virtual absence of bryozoans that are common as sediment particles in water depths > 10mwd. Thus, the calcareous aeolianites in this cool-water carbonate region are not a reflection of the offshore marine shelf factories, but more a product of shallow nearshore-intertidal biomes.

Effects of affective and anxiety disorders on outcome in problem gamblers attending routine cognitive-behavioural treatment in South Australia

This study evaluated the influence of 12-month affective and anxiety disorders on treatment outcomes for adult problem gamblers in routine cognitive–behavioural therapy. A cohort study at a state-wide gambling therapy service in South Australia. Primary outcome measure was rated by participants using victorian gambling screen (VGS) ‘harm to self’ sub-scale with validated cut score 21? (score range 0–60) indicative of problem gambling behaviour. Secondary outcome measure was Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS). Independent variable was severity of affective and anxiety disorders based on Kessler 10 scale. We used propensity score adjusted random-effects models to estimate treatment outcomes for sub-populations of individuals from baseline to 12 month follow-up. Between July, 2010 and December, 2012, 380 participants were eligible for inclusion in the final analysis. Mean age was 44.1 (SD = 13.6) years and 211 (56 %) were males. At baseline, 353 (92.9 %) were diagnosed with a gambling disorder using VGS. For exposure, 175 (46 %) had a very high probability of a 12-month affective or anxiety disorder, 103 (27 %) in the high range and 102 (27 %) in the low to moderate range. For the main analysis, individuals experienced similar clinically significant reductions (improvement) in gambling related outcomes across time (p\0.001). Individuals with co-varying patterns of problem gambling and 12 month affective and anxiety disorders who present to a gambling help service for treatment in metropolitan South Australia

Chronic condition management and self-management in Aboriginal communities in South Australia : outcomes of a longitudinal study

OBJECTIVES: This paper describes the longitudinal component of a larger mixed methods study into the processes and outcomes of chronic condition management and self-management strategies implemented in three Aboriginal communities in South Australia. The study was designed to document the connection between the application of structured systems of care for Aboriginal people and their longer-term health status. METHODS: The study concentrated on three diverse Aboriginal communities in South Australia; the Port Lincoln Aboriginal Health Service, the Riverland community, and Nunkuwarrin Yunti Aboriginal Health Service in the Adelaide metropolitan area. Repeated-measure clinical data were collected for individual participants using a range of clinical indicators for diabetes (type 1 and 2) and related chronic conditions. Clinical data were analysed using random effects modelling techniques with changes in key clinical indicators being modelled at both the individual and group levels. RESULTS: Where care planning has been in place longer than in other sites overall improvements were noted in BMI, cholesterol (high density and low density lipids) and HbA1c. These results indicate that for Aboriginal patients with complex chronic conditions, participation in and adherence to structured care planning and self-management strategies can contribute to improved overall health status and health outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The outcomes reported here represent an initial and important step in quantifying the health benefits that can accrue for Aboriginal people living with complex chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and respiratory disease. The study highlights the benefits of developing long-term working relationships with Aboriginal communities as a basis for conducting effective collaborative health research programs.

Treatment outcomes and predictors of drop out for problem gamblers in South Australia : a cohort study

OBJECTIVES: Recent prevalence studies in Australia, the USA and Canada have estimated 1-2% of the adult population meet the diagnostic criteria for problem or pathological gambling. The Statewide Gambling Therapy Service (SGTS) provides treatment for problem gamblers in key metropolitan and rural regions in South Australia. The aims of this study were two-fold: to analyse the short and mid-term outcomes following treatment provided by SGTS and to identify factors associated with treatment drop-out. METHOD: A cohort of treatment seeking problem gamblers was recruited through SGTS in 2008. Repeated outcome measures included problem gambling screening, gambling related cognitions and urge. Treatment drop-out was defined as participants attending three or less treatment sessions, whilst potential predictors of drop-out included perceived social support , anxiety and sensation-seeking traits. RESULTS: Of 127 problem gamblers who participated in the study, 69 (54%) were males with a mean age of 43.09 years (SD = 12.65 years) and with 65 (52%) reporting a duration of problem gambling greater than 5 years. Follow up time for 50% of participants was greater than 8.9 months and, overall, 41 (32%) participants were classified as treatment drop-outs. Results indicated significant improvement over time on all outcome measures except alcohol use for both treatment completers and drop-outs, although to a lesser extent for the treatment drop-out group. A significant predictor of treatment drop-out was sensation-seeking traits. CONCLUSION: These results will inform future treatment planning and service delivery, and guide research into problem gambling including aspects of treatment drop-out.