International migration in a sea of islands: Challenges and opportunities for insular Pacific spaces

Our contribution to the International Conference “Connecting Worlds: Emigration, Immigration and Development in Insular Spaces”, held in the Azores between 28 and 30 May 2008, examines contemporary mobility of Pacific peoples in a transnational context with reference to processes of out-migration, return, re-migration and the complex systems of circular mobility between island countries as well as to and from countries on the Pacific rim. There are some significant differences between parts of the Pacific region in terms of the access their peoples have to work and residence opportunities outside their island countries. These are reviewed with reference to some major challenges for development in the region: rapid growth of youthful populations; high levels of unemployment; limited markets for local produce; unsustainable levels of extraction of timber, fish and mineral resources; changing climates; and unstable governance systems in some countries

Maori internal and international migration at the turn of the century: An Australasian perspective

At the beginning of the twenty-first century there were two major national clusters of Maori: New Zealand, the ancestral home for Maori, and Australia, home to a much smaller Maori population from the early years of the nineteenth century. In the 2001 censuses of New Zealand and Australia, the usually resident Maori populations were, respectively, 526,281 (ethnic group classification) and 72,956 (ancestry classification). In this paper we examine four dimensions of Maori population movement between 1996 and 2001 using the census data from New Zealand and Australia: 1) internal migration between rural and urban areas in New Zealand; 2) internal migration between rural and urban areas in Australia; 3) migration into New Zealand of Maori resident overseas in 1996; 4) migration into Australia of Maori resident overseas in 1996. There has never been a comprehensive assessment of Maori migration in an Australasian context before, but in the light of developments in population exchanges between New Zealand and Australia this sort of analysis is critical if one wishes to understand contemporary Maori population dynamics

The Potential of Hellenic-Australian Diaspora Entrepreneurial Networks

In Australia’s economic landscape, a key dimension of trade activity can be found in the important link between cultural diversity and international business. For example, new migrants are likely to have strong links to business communities back home. Moreover, there are no language barriers, nor any cultural adjustments to make. This provides the context for exploring the role of ethnic business communities in Australia in enhancing international business activity especially with member countries of the European Union (EU), which as a single entity remains Australia’s largest economic partner. However, despite the importance of the EU to Australia as an economic partner, English-speaking nations (e.g., Britain) dominate Australia’s exporter list. In this spirit, we examine some of the features of diaspora/expatriate communities within Australia and Greece and consider strategies that can help enhance the role of Greek-Australian diaspora entrepreneurial networks and expand Australia’s economic engagement with the enlarged EU

Development of 3D-STED microscopy and its application to luminescent defects in diamond, nanoparticles and biological samples

The work presented in this thesis follows two main branches. The first aims to develop instrumentation for 3D-STED microscopy and to apply it to the study of bulk diamond, nanoparticles and biological samples. The second aims to evaluate the application of fluorescence imaging and spectroscopy techniques to the study of luminescent defects in diamond. Building on previous work in the Photonics Group at Imperial College London, spatial light modulator (SLM) technology was incorporated into a STED system in a novel configuration to provide a robust and convenient solution for 3D-STED microscopy. This system was applied to the first reported super-resolution imaging of the interaction between two cells in their natural state. The system was further applied to STED imaging of nitrogen vacancy centres in bulk diamond and to a proof of principle experiment for novel plasmon-assisted labels for STED microscopy. The effects of wavefront aberration on STED microscopy were investigated and a predictive correction philosophy was developed based on spherical aberration induced by a refractive index mismatch. The flexibility offered by the SLM technology was taken advantage of to demonstrate recovery of STED imaging quality in glycerol and bulk diamond by active correction of spherical aberration experienced by the depletion point spread function. Confocal intensity imaging, confocal fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) and multispectral fluorescence lifetime measurement were applied to the imaging of fluorescent defects in bulk diamond. It was demonstrated that FLIM can provide information that is complimentary to intensity imaging in diamond and that it is possible to spectrally distinguish defects in diamond while simultaneously measuring their lifetime using multispectral lifetime measurement methods. This thesis also presents the ongoing development of a system for STED of live samples that express green fluorescent protein (GFP).Open Acces

Population mobility in West Java, Indonesia

This thesis is concerned with the elucidation of the nature, strength and direction of contemporary population movements to, from and within the western third of Java, Indonesia and with the examination of the evolution of those mobility patterns, their causes and some of their effects. Particular attention is focused on population mobility between village and city. In the absence of a comprehensive set of mobility data for Indonesia a wide range of statistical sources have been employed. The most important of these are the 1971 Indonesian census, local population registers and detailedfield surveys of samples of movers and stayers within 14 West Javan village communities. The study consists of three main parts. The first is essentially introductory and outlines the aims and approach of the thesis and the nature of the environment which affects and is affected by the mobility system under study. In Part II aggregate flows of population movement between western Java and other parts of Indonesia as well as within the study area are examined. The evolution of those mobility patterns is reviewed and the extent to which it corresponds to the Mobility Transition hypothesis is assessed. Some of the ecological determinants of in ter-regional population flows are explored and simple aggregate models explaining them are tested. The selectivity of the mobility process is then examined via an analysis of the sex, age and education characteristics of groups of movers and non movers. Part III attempts to add greater depth and realism to the aggregate analysis by focusing on processes of population movement at the level of the individual decision maker and the local community to which he relates. The structure of the totality of population mobility at the community level is described and one important sub-set (vi11age-city interaction) of this system is examined in detail. The dimensions of the process are elucidated by examining the behavioural dynamics of mobility decision making in the village, movers’ experiences in the city and the impact which mobility has on the village. The final chapter summarizes the findings of the study and some of its implications for policy makers as well as for further research are pointed out. The study questions the stereotyping of West Javans as static and immobile and points to the inaccuracies and misconceptions that can result from the indiscriminate transfer of Western derived conceptual frameworks, definitions and data collection procedures for use in mobility research in Third World contexts. It also suggests that population movement is a more widespread response to ecological pressure in West Java than is generally believed but because it frequently takes a circular form it is not detected by conventional migration statistics. Further it is shown that this circular mobility has important social and economic implications for both village and city

Relationship of social factors including trust, control over life decisions, problems with transport and safety, to psychological distress in the community

PURPOSE: Psychological distress encompasses anxiety and depression with the previous studies showing that psychological distress is unequally distributed across population groups. This paper explores the mechanisms and processes which may affect the distribution of psychological distress, including a range of individual and community level socioeconomic determinants. METHODS: Representative cross-sectional data was collected for respondents aged 16+ from July 2008 to June 2009, as a part of the South Australian Monitoring and Surveillance System (SAMSS) using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI). Univariate and multivariate analyses (n = 5,763) were conducted to investigate the variables that were associated with psychological distress. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of psychological distress was 8.9%. In the multivariate model, females, those aged 16–49, respondents single with children, unable to work or unemployed, with a poorer family financial situation, earning $20,000 or less, feeling safe in their home some or none of the time, feeling as though they have less then total control over life decisions and sometimes experiencing problems with transport, were significantly more likely to experience psychological distress. CONCLUSIONS: This paper has demonstrated the relationship between low-income, financial pressure, less than optimal safety and control, and high-psychological distress. It is important that the groups highlighted as vulnerable be targeted in policy, planning, and health promotion and prevention campaigns

The Role of GIS in The Management of Primary Health Care Services

The application of Geographic Information Systems with health has been relatively slow to develop in Australia. The aim of this paper is to show the role that a GIS can play in the management of Divisions of General Practice (GP). We are proposing to use GIS to allow data in General Practice to be analysed visually through desktop mapping as a way of developing a Practice profile. Most of the research projects in this area in western countries are at this stage of development. The favourable conditions in Victoria, Australia (due to the amount of complete digital data bases) allow us to be more ambitious. Thus the aim of the project presented through this paper is not only to reach a visual representation of the spatial health data but to explore the potential of GIS in the following issues:· the combination of health data with other data such as the location and characteristics of private services related with health,· spatial and thematic queries,· sophisticated spatial analyses related with the optimal distribution and location of the practitioners,· simulations regarding the actual and future demand, and · optimal routing Two Divisions of General Practice, one in rural Victoria and one in the metropolitan area of Melbourne, are being used in a pilot study. The data and results presented in this paper are related to these settings

Syncrip/hnRNP Q influences synaptic transmission and regulates BMP signaling at the Drosophila neuromuscular synapse

Synaptic plasticity involves the modulation of synaptic connections in response to neuronal activity via multiple pathways. One mechanism modulates synaptic transmission by retrograde signals from the post-synapse that influence the probability of vesicle release in the pre-synapse. Despite its importance, very few factors required for the expression of retrograde signals, and proper synaptic transmission, have been identified. Here, we identify the conserved RNA binding protein Syncrip as a new factor that modulates the efficiency of vesicle release from the motoneuron and is required for correct synapse structure. We show that syncrip is required genetically and its protein product is detected only in the muscle and not in the motoneuron itself. This unexpected non-autonomy is at least partly explained by the fact that Syncrip modulates retrograde BMP signals from the muscle back to the motoneuron. We show that Syncrip influences the levels of the Bone Morphogenic Protein ligand Glass Bottom Boat from the post-synapse and regulates the pre-synapse. Our results highlight the RNA-binding protein Syncrip as a novel regulator of synaptic output. Given its known role in regulating translation, we propose that Syncrip is important for maintaining a balance between the strength of presynaptic vesicle release and postsynaptic translation

Migration of income-support recipients from non-metropolitan NSW and SA into Sydney and Adelaide

This report investigates "the motivations of, and trade-offs made by approximately 50,000 income-support recipients who move annually from non-metropolitan areas to metropolitan cities...For 'work-ready' income-support recipients (the unemployed and single parent pensioners) finding affordable and appropriately located housing may influence their capacity to find work and their willingness to stay in cities where job opportunities are relatively high. For other categories of income-support recipients (disabled and aged pensioners) the availability of affordable and appropriate housing may influence the extent to which they are able to access metropolitan services and social support networks that are presumed to be significant factors in their relocating.Nancy Marshall, Ian Burnley, Peter Murphy and Graeme Hug

State of green infrastructure in the GCR

July 2013This State of Green Infrastructure report is both an assessment of the set of natural and manmade landscape features in the Gauteng City-Region (GCR) and an interrogation into how the services provided by these assets are perceived, understood and valued. Inspiration is drawn from the conceptual and planning framework of ‘green infrastructure’, through which ecological systems, green spaces and other landscape features are regarded as providing services to society in the same way as those offered by traditional ‘hard’ infrastructure.written by Alexis Schäffler et al. for GCR