Digital Commons Network^™

Bryophyte Species Composition Over Moisture Gradients In The Windmill Islands, East Antarctica: Development Of A Baseline For Monitoring Climate Change Impacts, J Wasley, S A. Robinson, J D. Turnbull, D H. King, W Wanek, M Popp

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Extreme environmental conditions prevail on the Antarctic continent and limit plant diversity to cryptogamic communities, dominated by bryophytes and lichens. Even small abiotic shifts, associated with climate change, are likely to have pronounced impacts on these communities that currently exist at their physiological limit of survival. Changes to moisture availability, due to precipitation shifts or alterations to permanent snow reserves, will most likely cause greatest impact. In order to establish a baseline for determining the effect of climate change on continental Antarctic terrestrial communities and to better understand bryophyte species distributions in relation to moisture in a floristically important Antarctic …

Seed Bank Persistence And Climate Change, Mark K. J Ooi

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

"The strong mechanistic relationship between climatic factors and seed dormancy and germination suggests that forecast climatic changes will significantly affect seed bank persistence. This review focuses on the potential impact of changing temperature, rainfall and fire regimes on the longevity of long-term persistent seed-banks. Currently, there are few studies investigating the mechanistic responses of demographic processes, such as seed-bank dynamics, to forecast climate change. However, from the work that has been published, several key points have been highlighted. First, increased air temperatures will produce significantly higher soil temperatures in open and sparsely vegetated habitats. Some evidence shows that this could …

Combining Outputs From The North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program By Using A Bayesian Hierarchical Model, Emily L. Kang, Noel Cressie, Stephan R. Sain

Faculty of Informatics - Papers (Archive)

We investigate the 20-year-average boreal winter temperatures generated by an ensemble of six regional climate models (RCMs) in phase I of the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program. We use the long-run average (20-year integration) to smooth out variability and to capture the climate properties from the RCM outputs. We find that, although the RCMs capture the large-scale climate variation from coast to coast and from south to north similarly, their outputs can differ substantially in some regions. We propose a Bayesian hierarchical model to synthesize information from the ensemble of RCMs, and we construct a consensus climate signal …

Weight Change In Control Group Participants In Behavioural Weight Loss Interventions: A Systematic Review And Meta-Regression Study, Lauren Waters, Alexis B. St George, Tien Chey, Adrian E. Bauman

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background Unanticipated control group improvements have been observed in intervention trials targeting various health behaviours. This phenomenon has not been studied in the context of behavioural weight loss intervention trials. The purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic review and meta-regression of behavioural weight loss interventions to quantify control group weight change, and relate the size of this effect to specific trial and sample characteristics. Methods Database searches identified reports of intervention trials meeting the inclusion criteria. Data on control group weight change and possible explanatory factors were abstracted and analysed descriptively and quantitatively. Results 85 trials were …

A Geospatial Appraisal Of Ecological And Geomorphic Change On Diego Garcia Atoll, Chagos Islands (British Indian Ocean Territory), Sarah Hamylton, Holly East

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

This study compiled a wide range of modern and historic geospatial datasets to examine ecological and geomorphic change at Diego Garcia Atoll across a 38-year period (1967-2005). This remarkable collection of spatially referenced information offered an opportunity to advance our understanding of the nature and extent of environmental change that has taken place with the construction of the military airbase at Diego Garcia. Changes assessed included movements of the lagoon rim shorelines, changes in the terrestrial vegetation on the lagoon rim and amendments to the bathymetry of the lagoon basin through dredging activities. Data compiled included detailed shoreline and vegetation …

Change In Maternity Provision In Ireland: "Elephants On The Move", Patricia Kennedy

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In an attempt to understand how change can occur in health services this article focuses on two recent developments in Ireland which came about as a result of an unexpected event and a consequent shift in policy which as Hinrichs (2001) and Castles (2010) suggest can be slow to move. Drawing on path dependency theory this article argues that maternity policies in Ireland were "locked in" between 1951 and 2001 in the wake of the Mother and Child controversy, an infamous milestone which led policy to develop along a very specific path and institutionalised the medical model of childbirth which …

Implementing Practice Change: Some Guiding Principles, Malcolm Masso

Australian Health Services Research Institute

Encouraging Best Practice in Residential Aged Care (EBPRAC) Program:

13 two-year projects, each implementing evidence in one area of clinical practice, with total funding of $12 million:

– Nutrition and hydration
– Pain management
– Falls prevention
– Oral health
– PRN medications
– Palliative care (3 projects)
– Behaviour management (3 projects)
– Infection control
– Wound management

Model: lead organisation, each working with a group of facilities.

Climate Change And Rural Child Health: Results And New Directions From An International Collaboration, Bastian Seidel

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

No abstract provided.

Predicting Clinically Signficant Change In An Inpatient Program For People With Severe Mental Illness, Talia Gonda, Frank P. Deane, Ganapathi A. Murugesan

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: The first aim of this study was to assess the proportion of patients who achieved reliable and clinically significant change over the course of treatment in an inpatient psychosocial rehabilitation program. The second aim was to determine whether age, gender, length of stay, and diagnosis and co-morbid diagnosis predicted those who were classified as improved or not improved, using clinical significance criteria. Method: Three hundred and thirty-seven patients from inpatient units at Bloomfield Hospital, Orange, New South Wales, Australia were assessed at admission, 3-month reviews and discharge using the expanded Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, the Health of the Nation …

Investigation On Temperature Change Of Cold Magnesium Alloy Strips Rolling Process With Heated Roll, Hailiang Yu, Qing-Bo Yu, Jin-Wu Kang, Xiang-Hua Liu

Faculty of Engineering - Papers (Archive)

Magnesium alloy strips are widely used in aerospace, automotive industry, etc., which are difficult to produce through cold forming process due to their poor deformation ability. In this article, we studied whether the rolling process with heated roll could be used to roll cold magnesium alloy strips. Thermal-mechanical finite element simulation of the rolling process, using heated roll and cold strips to produce the magnesium alloy strips, was carried out. Influences of roll temperature, rolling velocity, rolling reduction ratio, and initial strip thickness on the thermal field and the mean temperature of magnesium alloy strips were analyzed. Both the heated …

Climate Change And Displacement: Multidisciplinary Perspectives - Book Review, Carol Farbotko

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

In the small but growing field of research into climate change and migration, there is much debate about terms. Attempts to definitively count the numbers or pinpoint the characteristics of 'climate refugees' are being discarded in favour of more nuanced descriptors, such as climate-induced migration, that are better attuned to the agency and complexity of populations on the move in a warming world. The choice of the word 'displacement' in the title of this book, therefore, reveals much about its editor's intent.

Environmental Effects Of Ozone Depletion And Its Interactions With Climate Change: Progress Report, 2011, Anthony L. Andrady, Pieter J. Aucamp, Amy T. Austin, Alkiviadis F. Bais, Carlos L. Ballare, Lars Olof Bjorn, Janet F. Bornman, Martyn Caldwell, Anthony P. Cullen, David J. Erickson, Frank R. De Gruijl, Donat-P Hader, Walter Helbling, Mohammad Ilyas, Janice Longstreth, Robyn Lucas, Richard L. Mckenzie, Sasha Madronich, Mary Norval, Nigel D. Paul, Halim Redhwi, Sharon Robinson, Min Shao, Keith R. Solomon, Barbara Sulzberger, Yukio Takizawa, Xiaoyan Tang, Ayako Torikai, Jan C. Van Der Leun, Craig Williamson, Stephen R. Wilson, Robert C. Worrest, Richard G. Zepp

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The parties to the Montreal Protocol are informed by three panels of experts. One of these is the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel (EEAP), which deals with two focal issues. The first focus is the effects of increased UV radiation on human health, animals, plants, biogeochemistry, air quality, and materials. The second focus is on interactions between UV radiation and global climate change and how these may affect humans and the environment. When considering the effects of climate change, it has become clear that processes resulting in changes in stratospheric ozone are more complex than believed previously. As a result of …

Global Change And Fire Regimes In Australia, Geoffrey J. Cary, Ross A. Bradstock, A Malcolm Gill, Richard J. Williams

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Global change can be defined strictly in terms of changes in atmospheric composition, climate and land use (Walker and Steffen 1996), although broader definitions also include human population, economy and urbanisation (Steffen et al. 2004). In Australia, global change significantly affects the drivers of fire activity and there is potential for considerable changes in fire regimes. It is widely accepted that carbon dioxide (C02) concentration in the atmosphere is steadily increasing (see Steele et al. 2007), as is nitrous oxide (Forster et al. 2007). Atmospheric methane concentration has also risen significantly, but is now relatively constant (Beer et al. 2006). …

Incorporating Estuaries As A Source Or Sink Of Sediment Within Assessments Of Coastline Risk And Adaptation To Climate Change, K Rogers, C D. Woodroffe

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Complex coastal landforms exhibit variable behaviour in response to sea-level rise. A proposed modelling framework that integrates shoreline changes associated with longterm recession, short-term variability and sea-level rise advocates that coastal risk assessment be undertaken within the context of a geomorphologically-based modelling framework whereby a coastline is subdivided into coastal compartments or cells, thereby recognising the sedimentary links between compartments. For example, the Narrabeen coastline includes bounding headland compartments, a bay compartment and an estuary compartment; and the behaviour of the coastline varies according to the response of each of these compartments to variable climatic and oceanic conditions. This approach …

Climate Change, Fuel And Fire Behaviour In A Eucalypt Forest, Stuart Matthews, Andrew L. Sullivan, Penny Watson, Richard J. Williams

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

A suite of models was used to examine the links between climate, fuels and fire behaviour in dry eucalypt forests in south-eastern Australia. Predictions from a downscaled climate model were used to drive models of fuel amount, the moisture content of fuels and two models of forest fire behaviour at a location in western Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. We found that a warming and drying climate produced lower fine fuel amounts, but greater availability of this fuel to burn due to lower moisture contents. Changing fuel load had only a small effect on fuel moisture. A warmer, drier …

Meteorological Modes Of Variability For Fine Particulate Matter (Pm2.5) Air Quality In The United States: Implications For Pm2.5 Sensitivity To Climate Change, A. P K. Tai, L J. Mickley, D J. Jacob, E M. Leibensperger, L Zhang, J A. Fisher, H. O T. Pye

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

We applied a multiple linear regression model to understand the relationships of PM_2.5 with meteorological variables in the contiguous US and from there to infer the sensitivity of PM_2.5 to climate change. We used 2004–2008 PM_2.5 observations from ~1000 sites (~200 sites for PM_2.5 components) and compared to results from the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model (CTM). All data were deseasonalized to focus on synoptic-scale correlations. We find strong positive correlations of PM_2.5 components with temperature in most of the US, except for nitrate in the Southeast where the correlation is negative. Relative humidity (RH) is …

Radiocarbon Bomb Spike Reveals Biological Effects Of Antarctic Climate Change, Laurence J Clarke, Sharon A. Robinson, Quan Hua, David J. Ayre, David Fink

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

The Antarctic has experienced major changes in temperature, wind speed and stratospheric ozone levels during thelast 50 years. However, until recently continental Antarctica appeared to be little impacted by climate warming, thusbiological changes were predicted to be relatively slow. Detecting the biological effects of Antarctic climate changehas been hindered by the paucity of long-term data sets, particularly for organisms that have been exposed to thesechanges throughout their lives. We show that radiocarbon signals are preserved along shoots of the dominant Antarcticmoss flora and use these to determine accurate growth rates over a period of several decades, allowing us toexplore the …

The First Climate Refugees? Contesting Global Narratives Of Climate Change In Tuvalu, Carol Farbotko, Heather Lazrus

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Climate change effects such as sea-level rise are almost certain. What these outcomes mean for different populations, however, is far less certain. Climate change is both a narrative and material phenomenon. In so being, understanding climate change requires broad conceptualisations that incorporate multiple voices and recognise the agency of vulnerable populations. In climate change discourse, climate mobility is often characterised as the production of 'refugees', with a tendency to discount long histories of ordinary mobility among affected populations. The case of Tuvalu in the Pacific juxtaposes migration as everyday practice with climate refugee narratives. This climate-exposed population is being problematically …

Evolutionary Algorithm For Water Storage Forecasting Response To Climate Change With Small Data Sets: The Wolonghu Wetland, China, Qingwei Ni, Li Wang, Binghui Zheng, Muttucumaru Sivakumar

Faculty of Engineering - Papers (Archive)

"A novel genetic programming (GP) technique, a new method of evolutionary algorithms, was applied to a small data set to predict the water storage of Wolonghu wetland in response to the climate change in the northeastern part of China. Fourteen years (1993-2006) of annual water storage and climatic data of the wetland were used for model training and testing. Results of simulations and predictions illustrate a good fit between calculated water storage and observed values (mean absolute percent error = 9.47, r = 0.99). By comparison, a multilayer perceptron method (a popular artificial neural network model) and Grey theory model …

Dynamic Change Impact Analysis For Maintaining And Evolving Agent Systems, Hoa Khanh Dam, Aditya Ghose

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

In contrast to an increasing number of agent-based applica- tions in various domains, there has been very little work on maintenance and evolution of agent systems. This paper ad- dresses this gap with a focus on change impact analysis, i.e. estimating the potential eects of changes before they are made as an agent system evolves. We propose a technique for performing impact analysis in an agent system using dy- namic information about agent behaviour. Our approach builds a representation of an agent's behaviour by analyzing its execution traces which consist of goals and plans, and uses this representation to estimate …

Thermal, Microstructural And Mechanical Coupling Analysis Model For Flatness Change Prediction During Run-Out Table Cooling In Hot Strip Rolling, Xiao-Dong Wang, Fei Li, Zheng-Yi Jiang

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Non-uniformity of temperature distribution across strip width direction is the ultimate reason why the flatness defect occurs on the strip after cooling process although the strip is flat at the exit of finishing mill. One thermal, microstructural and mechanical coupling analysis model for predicting flatness change of steel strip during the run-out table cooling process was established using ABAQUS finite element software. K Esaka phase transformation kinetics model was employed to calculate the phase transformation, and coupled with temperature calculation using the user subroutine program HETVAL. Elasto-plasticity constitutive equations of steel material, in which conventional elastic and plastic strains, thermal …

Neoliberalising Adaptation To Environmental Change: Foresight Or Foreclosure?, Romain Felli, Noel Castree

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The UK's Government Office for Science has recently released an important report, produced by its internal think tank Foresight. Over seventy peer-reviewed studies have been commissioned and some 350 experts and `stakeholders' have been involved in creating Migration and Global Environmental Change (Foresight, 2011). Its lead authors have recently published a summary of the main conclusions in the leading scientific journal Nature (Black et al, 2011), and the report has already received extensive media coverage. By virtue of its scope and authorship, the report can be considered a milestone in the scientific and practitioner fields related to environment and migration. …

Implementing The Research Quality Framework: An Analysis Of Change And Identity In Academia, Gregor Zelle

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This thesis investigates the attempted implementation of the Research Quality Framework (RQF) policy in the Australian higher education sector. With the RQF the Australian Federal Government aimed to introduce a national research quality assessment exercise to Australian universities that at a later stage was to inform selective, performance based funding of university research. In particular the study focuses on the impact of the discourse of the early development and implementation phase of the policy on the occupational identities of academics affected by the RQF. At the centre of the investigation is an exploration of the responses of academics to the …

Bullshit: An Australian Perspective, Or, What Can An Organisational Change Impact Statement Tell Us About Higher Education In Australia?, Katherine Bode, Leigh Dale

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

In the last few years, a scholarly critique of current forms and directions of higher education has become increasingly prominent. This work, often but not exclusively focussed on the American and British systems, and on humanities disciplines, laments the transformation of the university into ‘a fast-food outlet that sells only those ideas that its managers believe will sell [and] treats its employees as if they were too devious or stupid to be trusted’ (Parker and Jary 335). Topics include the proliferation of courses and subject areas seen as profitable, particularly for overseas students;1 the commensurate diminution or dissolution of ‘unprofitable’ …

Climate Change And The Oceans: Legal And Policy Portents For The Asia Pacific Region And Beyond, Robin Warner, Clive Schofield

Faculty of Law - Papers (Archive)

The oceans dominate the globe spatially, covering approximately 72 per cent of its surface area. These extensive marine spaces are critical to the global environment and human survival in numerous ways - they are vital to the global nutrient cycling, represent a key repository and supporter of biological diversity on a world scale, and playa fundamental role in driving the global atmospheric system. Moreover, the oceans continue to provide a critical source of food through/fisheries and aquaculture, are an increasingly significant source of energy resources, and underpin the global economy through sea-borne trade.

Climate Change Mitigation Activities In The Ocean: Turning Up The Regulatory Heat, Rosemary Rayfuse, Robin Warner

Faculty of Law - Papers (Archive)

The adverse impacts of anthropogenically induced climate change on the terrestrial and marine environments have been acknowledged by a succession of expert reports commissioned by global and national bodies (IPCC 2007; Preston and Jones 2006; Stern et al. 2006). The threats posed by climate change to the global environment have fostered heightened scientific and commercial interest in a range of CO2 sequestration methods that either involve the ocean or affect the marine environment. The most developed proposals to date relate to offshore carbon capture and storage (OCCS), which seeks to capture carbon dioxide from point sources of emissions and sequester …

Development And Validation Of A Concept Inventory For Introductory-Level Climate Change Science, Lorna Jarrett, Brian Ferry, George Takacs

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

This paper follows on from Jarrett, Takacs and Ferry (2011) which reported the first stage in development of a high school level concept inventory (CI) for the science of climate change: the climate change concept inventory (CCCI). In order to develop a reliable and valid instrument, it is necessary to follow appropriate procedures. This paper details the process of CI item development; reports statistical results of initial field trials and outlines how these will be used to further refine the CCCI. Item difficulty, discrimination, and point biserial coefficient were calculated for each item. Cronbach's alpha and test-retest data were used …