Digital Commons Network^™

Three Arcs: Observations On The Archaeology Of The Elands Bay And Northern Cederberg Landscapes, Alex Mackay

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

The area around Elands Bay and the adjacent interior landscapes west of the Doring River have been subject to intense archaeological investigation over the last ~50 years. The result is a region with great depth and diversity of archaeological information. In this paper I discuss three general observations that arise from the integration of data across this region. The first is that redundancy in site occupation is limited: even where many sites are excavated in a small area, understanding of the regional sequence cannot be assumed to be complete. The second is that humans did not live in rock shelters: …

The Impact Of Marketing And Advertising On Food Behaviours: Evaluating The Evidence For A Causal Relationship, Jennifer A. Norman, Bridget Kelly, Emma J. Boyland, Anne T. Mcmahon

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The prevention of overweight in childhood is paramount to long-term heart health. Food marketing predominately promotes unhealthy products which, if over-consumed, will lead to overweight. International health expert calls for further restriction of children¿s exposure to food marketing remain relatively unheeded, with a lack of evidence showing a causal link between food marketing and children¿s dietary behaviours and obesity an oft-cited reason for this policy inertia. This direct link is difficult to measure and quantify with a multiplicity of determinants contributing to dietary intake and the development of overweight. The Bradford Hill Criteria provide a credible framework by which epidemiological …

Historical Riparian Vegetation Changes In Eastern Nsw, Angus Skorulis

Science, Medicine & Health - Honours Theses

Changes in the amount of riparian vegetation can vary significantly over large spatial extents, and this variation is influenced by an array of factors. Riparian vegetation is an important component of riverine ecosystems and acts as a filter for terrestrial runoff, a control on bank stability and a key habitat area. Following European settlement in New South Wales (NSW) Australia in the late 18^th century, extensive areas of floodplain and riparian vegetation were cleared to allow farming of the rich alluvial soil with close proximity to a water supply. As a result of broad scale vegetation clearing, the extent …

The Role Of Fire In The Population Dynamics Of The Threatened Plant Species Pomaderris Walshii And Pomaderris Adnata, Sophie Natale

Science, Medicine & Health - Honours Theses

Fire is a common occurrence across the Australian landscape, hence it is important to understand the effect that fire has on vegetation. In fire prone habitats, fire regimes have shaped the evolution, demography and life history traits of the associated vegetation. The fire regime is composed of a number of characteristics, such as frequency, severity, intensity and seasonality, all of which can contribute to shaping population persistence and response.

This study looks at the effect of fire severity on dormancy, germination and recruitment, with particular emphasis on the impact it can have on temperatures reached within the soil profile. Soil …

Bayesian Methods For Comparing Species Physiological And Ecological Response Curves, Michael B. Ashcroft, Angelica Casanova-Katny, Kerrie Mengersen, Todd N. Rosenstiel, Johanna Turnbull, Jane Wasley, Melinda J. Waterman, Gustavo E. Zuniga, Sharon A. Robinson

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

Many ecological questions require information on species' optimal conditions or critical limits along environmental gradients. These attributes can be compared to answer questions on niche partitioning, species coexistence and niche conservatism. However, these comparisons are unconvincing when existing methods do not quantify the uncertainty in the attributes or rely on assumptions about the shape of species' responses to the environmental gradient. The aim of this study was to develop a model to quantify the uncertainty in the attributes of species response curves and allow them to be tested for substantive differences without making assumptions about the shape of the responses. …

Dietary Carotenoids Change The Colour Of Southern Corroboree Frogs, Kate Umbers, Aimee J. Silla, Joseph A. Bailey, Allison K. Shaw, Phillip G. Byrne

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

Animal coloration can be the result of many interconnected elements, including the production of colour-producing molecules de novo, as well as the acquisition of pigments from the diet. When acquired through the diet, carotenoids (a common class of pigments) can influence yellow, orange, and red coloration and enhanced levels of carotenoids can result in brighter coloration and/or changes in hue or saturation. We tested the hypothesis that dietary carotenoid supplementation changes the striking black and yellow coloration of the southern corroboree frog (Pseudophryne corroboree, Amphibia: Anura). Our dietary treatment showed no measurable difference in colour or brightness for black patches …

The Expanding Role Of Urban Fluvial Geomorphology: South Creek, Stephanie J. Kermode, Phillip Birtles, Geoff Vietz, Stephen Lynch, Jonathon Dixon, Carl Tippler, Michael Dean

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

As aspirations for waterways in urban areas increases, and we demand more social and environmental values from them, an increased role exists for applied geomorphology in urban streams of the future. Previously, there has been a strong focus on flood mitigation and water quality in stream management, and even where geomorphology has been used to drive legislation (e.g. stream order, offsets), desired outcomes have not always been achieved. Understanding how physical attributes of channels are altered by urbanisation, and how the physical template and waterways can assist in achieving aspirational goals, is now central to urban landscape managers and planners. …

Balance Improvement Effects Of Biofeedback Systems With State-Of-The-Art Wearable Sensors: A Systematic Review, Christina Ma, Duo Wong, Wing K. Lam, Anson Wan, Winson Lee

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Falls and fall-induced injuries are major global public health problems. Balance and gait disorders have been the second leading cause of falls. Inertial motion sensors and force sensors have been widely used to monitor both static and dynamic balance performance. Based on the detected performance, instant visual, auditory, electrotactile and vibrotactile biofeedback could be provided to augment the somatosensory input and enhance balance control. This review aims to synthesize the research examining the effect of biofeedback systems, with wearable inertial motion sensors and force sensors, on balance performance. Randomized and non-randomized clinical trials were included in this review. All studies …