Fisheries Queensland Long Term Monitoring Program Underwater Visual Census of twenty-four reefs on the Great Barrier Reef between 1999 and 2004.

In 1999, the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI), Fisheries Queensland undertook a new initiative to collect long term monitoring data of various important stocks including reef fish. This data and monitoring manual for the reef fish component of that program which was based on Underwater Visual Census methodology of 24 reefs on the Great Barrier Reef between 1999 and 2004. Data was collected using six 50m x 5m transects at 4 sites on 24 reefs. Benthic cover type was also recorded for 10m of each transect. The attached Access Database contains 5 tables being: SITE DETAILS TABLE Survey year Data entry complete REF survey site ID Site # (1-4) Location (reef name) Site Date (date surveyed) Observer 1 (3 initials to identify who estimated fish lengths and recorded benthic cover) TRANSECT DETAILS Survey ID Transect Number (1-6) Time (the transect was surveyed) Visibility (in metres) Minimum Depth surveyed (m) Maximum Depth surveyed (m) Percent of survey completed (%) Comments SUBSTRATE Survey ID Transect Number (1-6) then % cover of each of eth following categories of benthic cover types Dead Coral Live Coral Soft Coral Rubble Sand Sponge Algae Sea Grass Other COORDINATES (over survey sites) from -14 38.792 to -19 44.233 and from 145 21.507 to 149 55.515 SIGHTINGS ID Survey ID Transect Number (1-6) CAAB Code Scientific Name Reef Fish Length (estimated Fork Length of fish; -1 = unknown or not recorded) Outside Transect (if a fish was observed outside a transect -1 was recorded) Morph Code (F = footballer morph for Plectropomus laevis, S = Spawning colour morph displayed)

Nine year changes in sitting time in young and mid-aged Australian women: Findings from the Australian longitudinal study for women's health

- Objective To examine changes in sitting time (ST) in women over nine years and to identify associations between life events and these changes. - Methods Young (born 1973–78, n = 5215) and mid-aged (born 1946–51, n = 6973) women reported life events and ST in four surveys of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health between 2000 and 2010. Associations between life events and changes in ST between surveys (decreasers ≥ 2 h/day less, increasers ≥ 2 h/day more) were estimated using generalized estimating equations. - Results Against a background of complex changes there was an overall decrease in ST in young women (median change − 0.48 h/day, interquartile range [IQR] = − 2.54, 1.50) and an increase in ST in mid-aged women (median change 0.43 h/day; IQR = − 1.29, 2.0) over nine years. In young women, returning to study and job loss were associated with increased ST, while having a baby, beginning work and decreased income were associated with decreased ST. In mid-aged women, changes at work were associated with increased ST, while retiring and decreased income were associated with decreased ST. - Conclusions ST changed over nine years in young and mid-aged Australian women. The life events they experienced, particularly events related to work and family, were associated with these changes.

Hospital-related fears and coping strategies in 4-6-year-old children

There is only little information available on the 4-6-year-old child s hospital-related fears, and on the coping with such fears, as expressed by the children themselves. However, previous data collected from parents and hospital personnel indicate that hospitalization is an anxiety-producing experience for young children. The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of hospital-related fears and the experience of coping with hospital-related fears of 4-6-year-old children. The aim of this study was to form a descriptive model of the subjective experience of hospital-related fears and coping strategies of 4-6-year old children. The data were collected by interviewing 4-6-year-old children from a hospital and kindergarten settings in Finland from 2004 to 2006. Ninety children were interviewed in order to describe the hospital-related fear and the experience of fear, and 89 to describe their coping with the fear and the experience of coping. The children were chosen through purposive sampling. The data were gathered by semi-structured interview, supported by pictures. The data about hospital-related fears and on strategies for coping with hospital-related fears were reviewed by qualitative and quantitative methods. The experience of hospital-related fears and coping with these fears were analyzed using Colaizzi s Method of Phenomenological Analysis. The results revealed that more than 90 % of the children said they were afraid of at least one thing in hospital. Most of the fears could be categorized as nursing interventions, fears of being a patient, and fears caused by the developmental stage of the child. Children interviewed in the hospital expressed substantially more fears than children interviewed in kindergarten. Children s meanings of hospital-related fears were placed into four main clusters: 1) insecurity, 2) injury, 3) helplessness, 4) and rejection. The results also showed that children have plenty of coping strategies, to deal with their fears, especially such strategies in which the children themselves play an active role. Most often mentioned coping strategies were 1) the presence of parents and other family members, 2) the help of the personnel, 3) positive images and humour, 4) play, and 5) the child s own safety toy. The children interviewed in the hospital mentioned statistically significantly more often play, positive imagination and humour as their coping strategy than children interviewed in kindergarten. The meaning of coping with hospital fears consisted of six clusters: pleasure, security, care, understanding the meaning of the situation participating, and protecting oneself. Being admitted to a hospital is an event which may increase the fears of a 4-6-year-old child. Children who have personal experience of being admitted to a hospital describe more fears than healthy children in kindergarten. For young children, hospital-related fear can be such a distressing experience that it reflects on their feelings of security and their behaviour. Children can sometimes find it difficult to admit their fear. Children need the help of adults to express their hospital-related fears, the objects of the fears, and to cope with the fears. Personnel should be aware of children s fears and support them in the use of coping strategies. In addition to the experiences of security and care, pre-school-aged children need active coping strategies that they can use themselves, regardless of the presence of the parents or nurses. Most of all, children need the possibility to play and experience pleasure. Children can also be taught coping strategies which give them an active, positive role.

Impact of a new mandatory reporting law on reporting and identification of child sexual abuse: A seven year time trend analysis

Child sexual abuse is widespread and difficult to detect. To enhance case identification, many societies have enacted mandatory reporting laws requiring designated professionals, most often police, teachers, doctors and nurses, to report suspected cases to government child welfare agencies. Little research has explored the effects of introducing a reporting law on the number of reports made, and the outcomes of those reports. This study explored the impact of a new legislative mandatory reporting duty for child sexual abuse in the State of Western Australia over seven years. We analysed data about numbers and outcomes of reports by mandated reporters, for periods before the law (2006-08) and after the law (2009-12). Results indicate that the number of reports by mandated reporters of suspected child sexual abuse increased by a factor of 3.7, from an annual mean of 662 in the three year pre-law period to 2448 in the four year post-law period. The increase in the first two post-law years was contextually and statistically significant. Report numbers stabilised in 2010-12, at one report per 210 children. The number of investigated reports increased threefold, from an annual mean of 451 in the pre-law period to 1363 in the post-law period. Significant decline in the proportion of mandated reports that were investigated in the first two post-law years suggested the new level of reporting and investigative need exceeded what was anticipated. However, a subsequent significant increase restored the pre-law proportion, suggesting systemic adaptive capacity. The number of substantiated investigations doubled, from an annual mean of 160 in the pre-law period to 327 in the post-law period, indicating twice as many sexually abused children were being identified.

Water in Action : Encounters among 2- to 3-Year-Old Children, Adults, and Water in Day Care

In line with cultural psychology and developmental theory, a single case approach is applied to construct knowledge on how children s interaction emerge interlinked to historical, social, cultural, and material context. The study focuses on the negotiation of constraints and meaning construction among 2-to 3-year-old children, a preschool teacher, and the researcher in settings with water. Water as an element offers a special case of cultural canalization: adults selectively monitor and guide children s access to it. The work follows the socio-cultural tradition in psychology, particularly the co-constructivist theory of human development and the Network of Meanings perspective developed at the University of São Paulo. Valsiner s concepts of Zone of Free Movement and Zone of Promoted Action are applied together with studies where interactions are seen as spaces of construction where negotiation of constraints for actions, emotions, and conceptions occur. The corpus was derived at a Finnish municipal day care centre. During a seven months period, children s actions were video recorded in small groups twice a month. The teacher and the researcher were present. Four sessions with two children were chosen for qualitative microanalysis; the analysis also addressed the transformations during the months covered by the study. Moreover, the data derivation was analyzed reflectively. The narrowed down arenas for actions were continuously negotiated among the participants both nonverbally and verbally. The adults expectations and intentions were materialized in the arrangements of the setting canalizing the possibilities for actions. Children s co-regulated actions emerged in relation to the adults presence, re-structuring attempts, and the constraints of the setting. Children co-constructed novel movements and meanings in relation to the initiatives and objects offered. Gestures, postures, and verbalizations emerged from the initially random movements and became constructed to have specific meanings and functions; meaning construction became abbreviated. The participants attempted to make sense of the ambiguous (explicit and implicit) intentions and fuzzy boundaries of promoted and possible actions: individualized yet overlapping features were continuously negotiated by all the participants. Throughout the months, children s actions increasingly corresponded adults (re-defined) conceptions of water researchers as an emerging group culture. Water became an instrument and a context for co-regulations. The study contributes to discussions on children as participants in cultural canalization and emphasizes the need for analysis in early childhood education practices on the implicit and explicit constraint structures for actions.

Retirement Transition and Well-being : A 16-year Longitudinal Study

The ageing of the labour force and falling employment rates have forced policy makers in industrialized countries to find means of increasing the well-being of older workers and of lengthening their work careers. The main objective of this thesis was to study longitudinally how health, functional capacity, subjective well-being, and lifestyle change as people grow older, and what effect retirement has on these factors and on their relationships. The present study is a follow-up questionnaire study of Finnish municipal workers, conducted in 1981 to 1997 at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. In 1981, a postal questionnaire was sent to 7344 municipal workers in different parts of Finland. The respondents were born between 1923 and 1937. A total of 6257 persons responded to the first questionnaire. In the end, a total of 3817 persons had responded to all four (1981, 1985, 1992, 1997) questionnaires. (The response rate was 69% of the living participants). Cross-tabulations, comparison of means, logistic regression analyses and general linear models with repeated measures were used to derive the results. The transition from work life to retirement, and the following years as a pensioner were associated with many changes. Involvement in various activities increased during the transition stage but later decreased to the previous level. Physical exercise was an exception: it became increasingly popular over the years. Perceived health improved markedly from the working stage to the retirement transition stage, even though morbidity increased steadily during the follow-up. On the other hand, functional capacity decreased over the follow-up, especially among those who were occupationally active until the retirement stage. Subjective well-being remained stable during the follow-up period. There were, however, great differences based on the type of work, favouring those whose work had been mental in nature. The impact of activity level on maintaining well-being became greater during the follow-up, whereas the effect of physical functioning diminished. Good physical functioning and an active life-style contributed to staying on at work until normal retirement age. Also work-related factors, i.e. possibilities for development and influence at work, responsibility for others, meaningful work, and satisfaction with working time arrangements were positively related to continuing working. The transition from work to retirement had a positive impact on a person s health and functional capacity. The study results support the view that it should be possible to ease one s work pace during the last years of a work career. This might lower the threshold between work and retirement and convince people that there will still be time to enjoy retirement also a few years later.

Brain oscillatory responses, working memory and cognitive developmental stages in 11- and 14-year-old children: an ERD/ERS study

Aim: So far, most of the cognitive neuroscience studies investigating the development of brain activity in childhood have made comparisons between different age groups and ignored the individual stage of cognitive development. Given the wide variation in the rate of cognitive development, this study argues that chronological age alone cannot explain the developmental changes in brain activity. This study demonstrates how Piaget s theory and information on child s individual stage of development can complement the age-related evaluations of brain oscillatory activity. In addition, the relationship between cognitive development and working memory is investigated. Method: A total of 33 children (17 11-year-olds, 16 14-year-olds) participated in this study. The study consisted of behavioural tests and an EEG experiment. Behavioral tests included two Piagetian tasks (the Volume and Density task, the Pendulum task) and Raven s Standard Progressive Matrices task. During EEG experiment, subjects performed a modified version of the Sternberg s memory search paradigm which consisted of an auditorily presented memory set of 4 words and a probe word following these. The EEG data was analyzed using the event-related desynchronization / synchronization (ERD/ERS) method. The Pendulum task was used to assess the cognitive developmental stage of each subject and to form four groups based on age (11- or 14-year-olds) and cognitive developmental stage (concrete or formal operational stage). Group comparisons between these four groups were performed for the EEG data. Results and conclusions: Both age- and cognitive stage-related differences in brain oscillatory activity were found between the four groups. Importantly, age-related changes similar to those reported by previous studies were found also in this study, but these changes were modified by developmental stage. In addition, the results support a strong link between working memory and cognitive development by demonstrating differences in memory task related brain activity and cognitive developmental stages. Based on these findings it is suggested that in the future, comparisons of development of brain activity should not be based only on age but also on the individual cognitive developmental stage.

Mussel Community Studies [Year One].

Mytilus californianus communities (mussel beds) were examined from six geographic localities in Southern California. These included two mainland sites, Coal Oil Point and San Diego; and four island sites, San Miguel, Santa Cruz, San Nicholas, and Santa Barbara Islands. Optimal sample sizes were determined for each locality. In general, a sample, size of 1500 cm2 (five cores) was optimal for the "typical" mussel bed. However, structurally unique mussel beds required individual consideration. Community biomass, diversity, species richness, and species evenness were calculated quarterly for the island localities and biannually for mainland locations. The molluscs, primarily the mussels, accounted for 90% of the total biomass while all other groups combined accounted for 10% or less of the total biomass. The mussel communities from all localities contributed to the master species list which conservatively contained 346 species. The most diverse localities were Coal Oil Point and Santa Cruz Island with an average number of 73 and 74 species/O.lS m respectively. No overall seasonal patterns existed in community composition. The community similarity analyses showed the mainland localities biotically dissimilar from the islands and both groups were characterized by distinct faunal assemblages. In addition, San Miguel Island biota were unique among the island sites. The most important mussel bed structural attributes provided habitats for the associated community and included sediment and coarse fraction features. Food-related resources provided by the mussel bed were secondarily important. Community diversity generally increased with the quantity of habitat and food resources. (PDF contains 138 pages)

Mussel Community Studies [Year Two].

The communities associated with Mytilus californianus (mussel) beds from eleven geographic localities in Southern California were examined. The localities included four mainland sites - Government Point, Goleta Point, Corona del Mar and San Diego; and seven offshore islands including - San Miguel Island, Santa Rosa Island, Santa Cruz Island, Santa Barbara Island, Santa Catalina Island, San Nicholas Island and San Clemente Island. This geographic coverage. was much more complete than the previous year (1975-1976 program). However, it is still less than ideal. In particular a single island collection locality may not be representative of an entire island. Therefore greater geographic coverage of the islands is recommended for the future. In general, the 1500 cm2 sample size adopted during the 1975-1976 program proved adequate for sampling most of the structurally diverse mussel beds this year. This sample size supplied information on the characteristic and abundant species inhabiting a particular mussel bed, and provided data which was well suited to intersite community comparisons. This sample size was too small in several instances to include the rarer, less abundant species. The mussel communities from all localities contributed to the master species list which contained conservatively 481 species of animals and 63 specie s of algae. The most diverse collections came from Santa Cruz Island and Corona del Mar, and these areas contained 120 and 119 species respectively. The lowest diversity was recorded for the mussel beds from Goleta Point: which contained 57 species. Mussel community samples were collected from upper and lower intertidal areas occupied by the mussel beds within a locality. In general, community differences both in composition and abundance were associated with these collections. (PDF contains 158 pages)

Early-life-history profiles, seasonal abundance, and distribution of four species of Clupeid larvae from the northern Gulf of Mexico, 1982 and 1983

We present data on ichthyoplankton distribution, abundance, and seasonality and supporting environmental information for four species of coastal pelagics from the family Clupeidae: round herring Etrumeus teres, scaled sardine Harengula jaguana, Atlantic thread herring Opisthonema oglinum, and Spanish sardine Sardinella aurita. Data are from 1982 and 1983 cruises across the northern Gulf of Mexico sponsored by the Southeastern Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP). This is the first such examination for these species on a multiyear and gulfwide scale. Bioproflles on reproductive biology, early life history, meristics, adult distribution, and fisheries characteristics are also presented for these species. During the summer, larval Atlantic thread herring and scaled and Spanish sardines were abundant on the inner shelf <40 m depth), but were rare or absent in deeper waters. Scaled sardine and thread herring were found virtually everywhere inner-shelf waters were sampled, but Spanish sardines were rare in the north-central Gulf. During 1982, larval Atlantic thread herring were the most abundant of the four target c1upeid species, whereas Spanish sardine were the most abundant during 1983. On the west Florida shelf, Spanish sardine dominated larval c1upeid populations both years. Scaled sardine larvae were the least abundant of the four species both years, but were still captured in 25% of inner-shelf bongo net collections. Round herring larvae, collected February-early June (primarily March-April), were abundant on the outer shelf (40-182 m depth) and especially off Louisiana. Over the 2-year period, outer-shelf mean abundance for round herring was 40.2 larvae/10 m2; inner-shelf mean abundances for scaled sardine, Atlantic thread herring, and Spanish sardine were 14.9, 39.2, and 41.9 larvae/l0 m2, respectively. (PDF file contains 66 pages.)

Species compositions of elasmobranchs caught by three different commercial fishing methods off southwestern Australia, and biological data for four abundant bycatch species

Commercial catches taken in southwestern Australian waters by trawl fisheries targeting prawns and scallops and from gillnet and longline fisheries targeting sharks were sampled at different times of the year between 2002 and 2008. This sampling yielded 33 elasmobranch species representing 17 families. Multivariate statistics elucidated the ways in which the species compositions of elasmobranchs differed among fishing methods and provided benchmark data for detecting changes in the elasmobranch fauna in the future. Virtually all elasmobranchs caught by trawling, which consisted predominantly of rays, were discarded as bycatch, as were approximately a quarter of the elasmobranchs caught by both gillnetting and longlining. The maximum lengths and the lengths at maturity of four abundant bycatch species, Heterodontus portusjacksoni, Aptychotrema vincentiana, Squatina australis, and Myliobatis australis, were greater for females than males. The L50 determined for the males of these species at maturity by using full clasper calcification as the criterion of maturity did not differ significantly from the corresponding L50 derived by using gonadal data as the criterion for maturity. The proportions of the individuals of these species with lengths less than those at which 50% reach maturity were far greater in trawl samples than in gillnet and longline samples. This result was due to differences in gear selectivity and to trawling being undertaken in shallow inshore waters that act as nursery areas for these species. Sound quantitative data on the species compositions of elasmobranchs caught by commercial fisheries and the biological characteristics of the main elasmobranch bycatch species are crucial for developing strategies for conserving these important species and thus the marine ecosystems of which they are part.

An 800-year paleoflood record from the Sacramento Valley, California [abstract]

EXTRACT (SEE PDF FOR FULL ABSTRACT): Four cores recovered from Little Packer Lake in Glenn County, California, have provided a paleoflood record for the past 800 years. ... The sequence of flood deposits in the top 2 meters of the record shows a reasonable agreement with the known history of floods during the past 150 years. At least three major flood events are indicated for AD 1400-1525, although these dates may have to be revised when more dates become available.

Fisheries annual report for the year ending 1966

The Chief Fisheries Officer's Annual Report of 1965 showed then that there had been an increase in the volume of work of the Fisheries Department. This increase continued and accelerated during 1966. The Transitional Development Plan was successfully completed on schedule, with the exception of two items which had been almost finished by the end of the year, and the Four Year Development Plan was introduced; by the end of the year all officers of the Department were fully engaged in its implementation.

Mussel recovery and species dynamics at four California rocky intertidal sites: 1992 data report

This is an interim report for a study of mussel recovery and species dynamics at four California rocky intertidal sites. Conducted by Kinnetic Laboratories, Inc. (KLI), and funded by the Minerals Management Service (MMS), the initial experimental field study began in spring 1985 and continued through spring 1991. The initial field study included six sites along the central and northern California coast. In 1992, MMS decided to continue the work started by KLI through an in-house study and establishment of the MMS Intertidal (MINT) team. Four of the original six sites have been continued by MMS. The study methods of the original study have been retained by the MINT team, and close coordination with the original KLI team continues. In 1994, the MMS Environmental Studies Program officially awarded a contract to the MINT team for this in-house study. This interim report presents the results from the fall 1992 sampling, the first year of sampling by the MINT team. The report presents a limited statistical analysis and visual comparison of the 1992 data. The next interim report will include data collected during fall 1994 and will present a broader statistical analysis of both the 1992 and 1994 data sets.

Lipid distribution in body and skin of four species of marine fish

The paper presents results of a study on the analytical characteristics of lipids from the skin and muscle of four important species of Gujarat coast fishes. Changes in characteristics like saponification value, iodine value and unsaponifiable matter of these lipids during different months of the year are also reported.