Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) nest predation at Cape Range National Park

Most of the existing sea turtle populations worldwide are in decline. In particular, loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) are listed as endangered and loggerhead nesting populations in Eastern Australia have declined by 86% since the 1970s. However, whilst Eastern Australian loggerhead populations have been extensively studied and monitored, not much is known about the Western Australian nesting population

Impact of a prolonged decline in rainfall on eucalypt woodlands in southwestern Australia and its consequences for avifauna

Aims: Our objective was to establish a relationship between long-term variation in the climatic environment, tree canopy decline and observed effects on the population dynamics of avifauna in the Dryandra Woodlands in southwestern Australia. These geographically isolated remnant woodlands are rich in endemic species and sustain a diverse range of ecological communities, but are threatened by habitat degradation and a decline in rainfall. Methods: We used annual rainfall data, averaged from a series of weather stations within 100 km of the Dryandra Woodlands and a time series analysis to investigate long-term changes in annual rainfall. Satellite spectral observations of eight study sites at Dryandra was used to measure changes in Projected Foliage Cover (PFC) of old growth Eucalyptus wandoo at all sites. Our mist-net trapping study across three years and all eight sites, targeted two focal species; the rufous treecreeper (Climacteris rufa) and yellow-plumed honeyeater (Ptilotula ornata). We investigated the relationship between the captures of each species and variation in PFC, between sites and across years. Also in a separate demographic study, capture-mark-recapture data was used to estimate the apparent survival rate of each species, following the robust design for open and closed populations. Key results: We demonstrate a long-term and continuing decline in average annual rainfall that is accelerating. We found the rainfall trend is concomitant with a long-term decline in PFC of E. wandoo and that the previous year’s annual rainfall is a predictor of average PFC across all sites. Additionally, we discovered that the PFC at each site, in each year, is a predictor of the number of yellow-plumed honeyeaters which prefer feeding on canopy insects and not a predictor of the predominantly ground-foraging rufous treecreeper. We also found a substantial difference in the apparent survival rates between the two species, with the apparent survival of yellow-plumed honeyeaters being approximately half that of rufous treecreepers. This difference was partially attributed to the likely movement outside of the study area due to decreasing habitat quality. Conclusions and implications: Overall, our results do suggest that some impacts of long-term rainfall trends can be traced to particular species through PFC variation, but the response between species to habitat change will differ and depend on species-specific habitat requirements. As increasing greenhouse emissions are associated with declining rainfall in southwestern Australia, this study shows if rainfall decline and habitat degradation continue, it will have catastrophic consequences for woodland ecosystems

Design and fabrication of highly efficient non-linear optical devices for implementing high-speed optical processing

We present the design and fabrication of micro-cavity semiconductor devices for enhanced Two-Photon-Absorption response, and demonstrate the use of these devices for implementing sensitive autocorrelation measurements on pico-second optical pulses

High-sensitivity two-photon absorption microcavity autocorrelator

A GaAs-AlAs microcavity device has been used as a photodetector in an autocorrelator for measuring the temporal pulsewidth of 1.5-/spl mu/m optical pulses. Enhancement of the two-photon absorption photocurrent due to the microcavity structure results in an autocorrelation (average power times peak power) sensitivity of 9.3/spl times/10/sup -4/ (mW)/sup 2/, which represents two orders of magnitude improvement when compared with conventional autocorrelators

Two-photon absorption in microcavities for optical autocorrelation and sampling

We have designed novel semiconductor microcavity structures for the enhancement of the two-photon absorption (TPA) photocurrent. We report a TPA autocorrelation technique for short optical pulses that uses the microcavity structure instead of a second harmonic generation crystal. Knowledge of these characteristics is important for implementation in applications such as optical switching and sampling in optical time division multiplexed (OTDM) communications systems

A novel approach towards two-photon absorption based detectors

Summary: We have demonstrated that the inherent inefficiency of the TPA process in semiconductors can be overcome by incorporating the semiconductor in a microcavity structure. Proof of concept devices with a 0.27μm Ga0.7Al0.3As active region and two Bragg reflectors with the cavity resonance of 890 nm were fabricated. We measured the TPA photocurrent of these devices and have demonstrated a factor of 12000 enhancement over a nonmicrocavity device at 890 nm. Our active length of 0.27 nm is as efficient as 5.4 mm without a microcavity, overcoming the very long detector lengths limiting the use of TPA in practical autocorrelators, optical switches and sampling devices for real telecommunication systems. The effect of the cavity is to enhance the intra-cavity optical intensity, which leads to an increase in the nonlinear response of the active region. We studied, theoretically and experimentally, the impact of the cavity on the temporal response and the sensitivity of the device, which are critical considerations for commercial applications. This cavity design has a 3 pico-second response time and the autocorrelation trace is comparable with the BBO crystal response for an input 1.6 ps pulse. Devices designed for 1550 nm have also been realised and our measurements indicate these two-photon absorption based detectors are potential candidates for optical autocorrelation of short optical pulses, and for optical switching and sampling in optical time division multiplexed (OTDM) communications systems

Differential aging of median and ulnar sensory nerve parameters

Introduction: Nerve conduction velocity slows and amplitude declines with aging. Methods: Median and ulnar sensory nerves were tested at the annual meetings of the American Dental Association. Seven hundred four subjects had at least two observations. The rate of change in the nerve parameters was estimated while controlling for gender, age, change in hand temperature, baseline body mass index (BMI), and change in BMI. Results: Amplitudes of the median sensory nerve action potentials decreased by 0.58 μV per year, whereas conduction velocity decreased at a rate of 0.41 m/s per year. Corresponding values for the ulnar nerve were 0.89 μV and 0.29 m/s per year. The rates of change in amplitudes did not differ, but the median nerve demonstrated a more rapid loss of conduction velocity. Conclusions: The rate of change for the median conduction velocity was higher than previously reported. The rate of change of median conduction velocity was significantly greater than for the ulnar nerve. Muscle Nerve 45: 60–64, 2012Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/89485/1/22233_ftp.pd

Intensive adoption as a management strategy for unowned, urban cats: A case study of 25 years of trap–assess–resolve (TAR) in Auckland, New Zealand

Globally, unowned urban cats are a major concern because they may suffer from poor welfare and cause problems, including public health risks, nuisances, and urban wildlife predation. While management options are often presented as a choice between culling or trap–neuter–return (TNR), for 25 years, the Lonely Miaow (Inc.) charity in Auckland, New Zealand (hereafter LM), has used a third strategy—intensive adoption or trap–assess–resolve (TAR). As of 2019, of 14,611 unowned cats trapped, 64.2% were adopted, 22.2% were euthanized if unsocialised or in grave ill-health, 5.7% were neutered and returned to the site, and 7.9% had other outcomes, such as being transferred to other shelters. Adoption rates increased over this time, exceeding 80.0% in 2018 and 2019. The cost of processing each cat from capture to adoption rose from NZD 58 in 1999 to NZD 234 by 2017. Approximately 80% of colonies (sites where cats were trapped) were around residential areas. Approximately 22% of cats required veterinary treatment after capture; common ailments included respiratory infections, ringworm, dental problems, and trauma. Consistently, 52% of cats were young kittens (5 years old. TAR avoids euthanasia where possible. Its effectiveness would be enhanced by fewer abandonments of owned cats and kittens, fitting within integrated strategies for the control of unowned cats involving community education. Cat adoptions improve the welfare of cats and, with appropriate husbandry, should alleviate concerns about nuisances, public health, and attacks on wildlife or the cats themselves, essentially benefitting the community and the cats. This case study is relevant to other cities around the world that are seeking to manage unowned cats