Particle-size characteristics of the vertical dust profiles of two contrasting dust events in the Channel Country of western Queensland, Australia

Spatial and temporal variations in vegetation and soil surface conditions of rangelands add a level of complexity to wind erosion processes which is often difficult to model or measure. Butler and colleagues have developed a methodology which combines computer simulation and experimental measurement to analyse how spatial and temporal changes in dust source area emission rates and atmospheric conditions affect vertical dust concentration profiles during wind erosion events in the Queensland Channel Country. This methodology has not, however, taken into account how variations in dust source area particle-size can affect vertical dust concentration profiles. The present paper examines how the particle-size characteristics of dust source soils affect both vertical dust concentration profiles and the vertical distribution of particle-sizes in two contrasting wind erosion events in the Queensland Channel Country. Comparisons are made between computer simulations of these events and the results of field measurements (of vertical dust concentration profiles) and laboratory measurements (of dust particle-size). Computer simulations of the particle-size emissions from the different dust source areas during the two events produce vertical distributions of dust particle-sizes which are similar to the measured dust particle-sizes for these events. These results indicate that erodibility-induced spatial and temporal variations in particle-size emissions of dust source areas have important influences upon: dust fluxes, vertical dust concentration profiles and the vertical distribution of dust particle-sizes within these profile

U.S. households' access to and use of electronic banking. 1989-2007

Nationwide surveys show that consumers are increasingly embracing technology to make payments and manage their personal finances. However, only about one in two consumers could be considered a heavy user of electronic banking. This article examines changes over time in consumers’ access to, adoption of, and attitudes toward various e-banking products and services and looks at several emerging technologies.Consumers' preferences ; Electronic funds transfers

Enteral Disorders of Childhood

The main object of the thesis is to clear up the uncertainty of classification of the various forms of enteritis of childhood which, of course, is a reflection of the great difficulty in diagnosis. However, while the subjects of classification and diagnosis were being investigated many other points of interest emerged which were followed up to a certain extent and some conclusions drawn. A short historical review from the time of Hippocrates to the nineteenth century is given. This is designed to show how certain basic facts such as the relationship between diarrhoea and teething, hot weather, artificial feeding and overcrowding came to be recognised. There then follows a discussion of the various classifications based upon clinical, pathological, bacteriological and biochemical findings and which have not proved to be very satisfactory. General etiological factors of enteritis of childhood then come under discussion with special emphasis upon the value of progressive public health legislation in causing a reduction in the death rate from enteritis as a whole. The suggestion is then made that one of the reasons for the difficulty in classification lies in the fact that the clinical basis which forms the foundation of every investigation is at fault. This, it is suggested, might he due to the true state of affairs being lost in a maze of biochemistry and bacteriology. CHAPTER I, deals with the non-infective forms of enteritis and shows that this group is not of great importance. The dyspeptic form of enteritis is shown to he easily treated. The mechanical form may include certain serious conditions such as hypertrophic pyloric stenosis and intussusception hut is rare. The symtomatic form is discussed at length and it is suggested that swallowed sputum and excretion of toxin through the intestinal wall might well he the two most likely causes. The association of enteritis with otitis media is noted and discussed fully. The conclusion is reached that undue importance has been attached to the symptomatic form of enteritis. An analysis of 492 cases of measles is used to support this view. CHAPTER II discusses the subject of infective enteritis of known etiology hut is confused mainly to Sonne dysentery. Seasonal incidence, incubation period, mode of spread, clinical features and complications are touched upon and finally the subject of diagnosis. Here I try to show that the only reliable method of diagnosis is by serum agglutination and figures are produced in support of this. This leads up to a discussion on the best routine method of dealing with a ward outbreak of some dysentery and the finding of mild cases and carriers. Treatment and pathology are also mentioned. Infective enteritis of uncertain etiology is then discussed and the division into two types- (1) Acute Toxic Enteritis and (2) Acute Choleraic Enteritis upon clinical and pathological grounds justified. Both types are fully discussed and theories advanced as to their etiology. It is suggested that the acute toxic type is a virus infection and that the choleraic form is of bacterial origin. Seasonal incidence, clinical picture, complications, pathology, diagnosis and treatment are dealt with fully. The question of the value of the various forms of treatment is gone into and personal experience of certain of these noted. CHAPTER III includes the unclassifiable forms of enteritis. These are probably mild forms of the dysentery group and of the dyspeptic group. CHAPTER IV deals with the routine investigation of cases of enteritis and makes certain suggestions which are in the main that serological examination must be carried out, clinical examina-tion must include examination of ears and urine together with a most thorough investigation of the respiratory tract. CHAPTER V describes briefly the enteritis unit at the Eastern Hospital in which the work recorded was carried out

Facies, outcrop gamma ray and isotopic signature of exposed Miocene subtropical continental shelf carbonates, North West Cape, Western Australia

Exposed, uplifted Miocene carbonate sequences of the Cape Range, North West Cape, Western Australia, provide outcrop analogues of seismic sequences from offshore parts of the shelf. Facies include deep shelf marls (very fine and fine packstone), larger foram wackestone, floatstone and muddy rudstone, foram-coralline algal skeletal fragment packstone wackestone (shallow seagrass facies), lagoonal wackestone mudstone with scattered corals, and tidal flat laminites. The exposed Early Miocene units include the Mandu highstand, a sequence in the Tulki and one in the Middle Miocene Trealla Limestone. Sequences contain decameter scale (5 20 m thick), 4th-order parasequences evident on gamma ray logs and by facies stacking, that shallow and coarsen up; they appear to be due to eccentricity driven sea-level changes which may have been up to 50 m. Higher frequency meter-scale parasequences of deep water marl up into larger foram rudstone/floatstone (perhaps precession/obliquity) are evident at the base of the exposed Mandu section. These parasequences are not merely random storm deposits. This is indicated by the covariance of C and O isotopes, with the lighter values associated with deepening and deposition of deep shelf marls, and the heavier values being associated with shallowing and deposition of larger foram facies.The uplifted Miocene continental shelf sediments of the North West Cape preserve a record of eustasy, paleoclimate and paleoceanography and thus provide a window into factors affecting the shelf, that can be compared with coeval, better studied deep sea cores

Sustainability of Smallholder Livelihoods in the Ecuadorian Highlands : A Comparison of Agroforestry and Conventional Agriculture Systems in the Indigenous Territory of Kayambi People

Smallholder farming constitutes an important but marginalized sector, responsible for most of the world’s agricultural production. This has a significant influence in the land use/cover change process and agrobiodiversity conservation, especially in mountainous regions of the developing world. Thus, the maintenance of sustainable smallholder farming systems represents a key condition for sustainable land management and to safeguard the livelihoods of millions of rural households. This study uses a combination of biophysical and socioeconomic data based on household interviews to compare 30 highland agroforestry systems and 30 conventional agriculture systems, to determine which system provides better conditions to support sustainable livelihoods for smallholder farmers. The interview data is based mainly on the perceptions of Kayambi indigenous farmers who use these farming systems to support their livelihoods. Independent-Samples t Test and descriptive statistics were applied to analyse the data from 60 farms. The results indicate that agroforestry systems contain greater agrobiodiversity; more diversified livelihoods; better land tenure security and household income; more diversified irrigation sources and less dependency on rainfall than conventional systems. These findings highlight the role of agroforestry systems in supporting sustainable livelihoods of smallholder farmers in mountainous areas.Peer reviewe

Mountain Farming Systems’ Exposure and Sensitivity to Climate Change and Variability: Agroforestry and Conventional Agriculture Systems Compared in Ecuador’s Indigenous Territory of Kayambi People

Smallholder farming is considered one of the most vulnerable sectors to the impacts of climate change, variability, and extremes, especially in the developing world. This high vulnerability is due to the socioeconomic limitations and high environmental sensitivity which affect the biophysical and socioeconomic components of their farming systems. Therefore, systems’ functionality and farmers’ livelihoods will also be affected, with significant implications for global food security, land-use/land-cover change processes and agrobiodiversity conservation. Thus, less vulnerable and more resilient smallholder farming systems constitute an important requisite for sustainable land management and to safeguard the livelihoods of millions of rural and urban households. This study compares a comprehensive socioeconomic and environmental dataset collected in 2015–2016 based on household interviews of 30 farmers of highland agroforestry systems and 30 farmers of conventional agriculture systems, to determine which system provides better opportunities to reduce exposure and sensitivity. A modified Climate Change Questionnaire Version 2 of the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) was applied to collect the data. The interview data are based on the perceptions of Kayambi indigenous farmers about the levels of exposure and sensitivity of their farming systems during the last decade. Descriptive statistics were applied to analyze the data from the 60 farms. Results indicate that both agroforesters and conventional farmers clearly perceived increases in temperature and reductions in precipitation for the last decade, and expected this trend to continue in the next decade. Furthermore, conventional farmers perceived greater exposure to droughts (20%), solar radiation (43%), and pests, weeds and disease outbreaks (40%) than agroforesters. Additionally, results emphasize the better ability of agroforestry systems to reduce exposure and sensitivity to climate change and variability. These findings support the well-known assumptions about the key role played by agroforestry systems for climate change adaptation and mitigation, especially in developing countries

Making chocolate truly sustainable

When we eat a delicious piece of chocolate, do we have any idea of the journey it undertook to get to us, or the potential harm it has caused to people and the planet? This article discusses the potential and actual sustainability of cocoa and chocolate, from farmer to consumer. This round-the-world journey follows cocoa production from the tree all the way to supermarket shelves. This voyage of discovery shows that zero deforestation efforts are an excellent means of addressing the challenges in making cocoa production and trade sustainable. Many other issues need to be addressed before cocoa — or even better, chocolate — is truly sustainable. Efforts to make supply chains “green” must be embedded in a broader discussion about how to ensure sustainability, from commodity production to end products, from farmer to consumer, and not just at some of the points along the way.Peer reviewe

The milk proteome and the acute phase response during bovine mastitis

The principal aims of the work presented in this thesis were to further investigate the pathophysiology of the acute phase proteins in bovine mastitis and to document the changes in the protein composition of milk during mastitis using modem proteomic methods. Mastitis is one of the most important diseases affecting cattle worldwide. It has adverse effects on the economics of milk production through reducing the quality and quantity of milk. Acute phase proteins (APPs) are valuable markers of inflammatory lesions and are widely used in the veterinary field for disease diagnosis. This study further investigated the presence of APPs, haptoglobin (Hp) 1 I and mammary- associated serum amyloid A3 (M-SAA3) in the milk of cows with mastitis and evaluated the possibility of using these proteins to detect mastitis. An Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed and validated for the measurement of milk Hp. A commercially available ELISA was used for the detection ofM-SAA3 in milk. Both Hp and M-SAA3 showed similar kinetics to somatic cell counts and can be considered as sensitive and reliable markers of mastitis. Advanced proteomic methods were developed and used to further characterise the changes taking place in the proteins expressed in normal and mastitic milk. The methodology for analysis of the bovine milk proteome was successfully established. This part of the work concluded that the patterns of protein expression of clinically mastitic milk showed clear differences from that of normal milk. Further analysis of milk samples from a mild subclinical model of Staphylococcus aureus mastitis showed that alterations to the milk p:oteome were only minimal. However this study was useful in identifying areas worthy of future research. Recent publications on APP research speculate upon the local production ofM-SAA3 in the bovine mammary gland. The final objective of this study was therefore to investigate the expression of MSAA3 in bovine mammary tissue. Our studies confirm the local production of M-SAA3 in the bovine mammary gland and its up-regulation during bovine mastitis. This finding may provide further information on a possible role for this protein. Overall the findings detailed in this thesis indicate that APPs in milk are valuable markers of mastitis and additionally that the ease of collection of milk by non-invasive methods suggest that milk has potential for the discovery of disease biomarkers