The status of the greater glider Petauroides volans in the Illawarra region

Anecdotal evidence suggested that the Greater glider Petauroides volans Kerr 1792 had been eliminated from Royal National Park by wildfires in 1994. This thesis is concerned with the distribution of the Greater glider in the Illawarra region, the reasons why it appears unable to recolonise an area in which it was formerly found, and the potential for re-establishing the former population. The specific aims of this study were to (1) clarify the taxonomy of this species; (2) review the distribution and abundance of Greater gliders in the Illawarra area and the current threats to populations; (3) conduct a detailed field study in the region; and (4) develop a translocation proposal for reintroduction of Greater gliders to Royal National Park. Early accounts of the Greater glider Petauroides volans (Marsupialia: Pseudocheiridae), started with Arthur Phillips’ 1789 account in The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay, but, since then, the species has had a quite peripatetic and confusing taxonomic history. It has been listed as a member of 10 genera, with about 23 different binomial names. The taxonomy and early descriptions of the species’ morphology, dentition, behaviour, distribution and abundance are complex, and P. volans has frequently been confused with a number of other gliding possums, particularly the Yellow-bellied glider, Petaurus australis. Early descriptions of the morphology of P. volans were given only in broad general terms. More value can be placed on the early behavioural observations, and on the earliest records of their occurrence. Recent distribution records of the Greater glider in the study area show that its range and numbers have declined over a 35 year period. Many factors may have contributed to this decline including; removal of habitat and den trees, predators, and the timing and frequency of fire events. The population of Greater gliders that was present at Royal National Park prior to 1994 was depleted by the shooting of 21 individuals between 1978 to 1980. A number of barriers in the landscape will limit the ability of the Greater glider to disperse from adjacent areas back to Royal National Park. My detailed field study, using spotlighting, at 19 sites confirmed that it is no longer present in many areas in which it was once observed. It is present in areas that are conserved as part of Sydney catchment Authority, and is indeed absent from Royal National Park. This information suggests that a reintroduction of the Greater glider to Royal National Park would be worthwhile, particularly as the Greater glider was formerly abundant at Royal National Park. The biological and ecological factors required by the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service policy document for the translocation of fauna are considered for the translocation proposal of the Greater glider to Royal National Park. These factors include; the reintroduction of 18 individuals using a sex ratio of 1:2 (6 males and 12 females), at two sites (Jersey Springs and Bola Creek) with three lots of F-M-F at each site (3 males and 6 females). Monitoring of the translocated individuals would use radio collars, reflective tags and spotlighting to determine initial success of the reintroduction. The low population numbers of the Greater glider in the Illawarra region call for sourcing the individuals from other areas. The taxonomy and the current and former range of the Greater glider are reviewed. The Greater glider lives for 10 – 15 years with adult females having one young per year, with greater success in forests with higher nutrient levels. The species is solitary and virtually silent, with populations ranging from 0.01 to 5 individuals per hectare. It is a hollow dependent, nocturnal folivorous marsupial which feeds high in the canopy and consumes some 33 eucalypt and ten non eucalypt species across its distribution. The home range size for the Greater glider is 1.4 to 2.6 ha for males and 0.8 to 2.5 ha for females. Threats to this species include habitat clearing, logging, fire and predation with ten predators reported. The only disease reported is Chlamydia which appears not to have any effect, while three ectoparasites and eight endoparasites were also recorded for this species. There have been no previous translocation programs undertaken for the Greater glider; other analogous species which have been translocated include the Sugar glider, Koala and Common Brushtail possum. The source population for the translocation of the Greater glider to Royal National Park, should come from an area other than the Illawarra as these populations are in low numbers and are of local conservation priority

The Effect of Risk on the Firm's Optimal Capital Stock: A Note

In this paper we extend the recent work on the choice of input mix under uncertainty. In particular, we demonstrate that the qualitative nature of the disturbance term, along with the decision sequence, is a crucial determinant of the overall effect of uncertainty on the optimal input mix of a firm. Using general demand and production functions in conjunction with a mean-variance framework for financial valuation, we demonstrate the differential effects of systematic and non-systematic risk on the firm's choice of an optimal input mix. Consistent with earlier work in economics, this analysis demonstrates that uncertainty, regardless of the source, has important implications for the firm's choice of technology.

Taxes, Default Risk, and Yield Spreads

This paper represents an extension and integration of recent empirical and theoretical research on default risk and taxability. The purpose of the paper is to develop and test a model of interest rate spreads which incorporates both the effect of taxes and differences in default probabilities in a theoretically correct manner. There is an important fundamental difference between our approach to explaining yield spreads and the approach most commonly taken in literature. Unlike nearly all of the previous work, we do not begin with a yield spread model, i.e.,one which begins by examining differences in yields, but rather begin with an expected return or pricing model, which can then be expressed in the yield spread format. This is a fundamental difference in approaches which we feel leads to a superior theoretical formulation which can then be tested empirically without many of the problems inherent in the alter-native approach. The theoretical model is a simple extension of earlierwork on default by Bierman and Hass (1975) and Yawitz (1977), altered appropriately to take explicit account of tax effects. While there is a considerable literature that analyzes the effect of taxability on rate spreads, we are unaware of any previous study that considers tax consequences in the event of default, a rather surprising omission.

'Encore' Red Raspberry

'Encore' is a new red raspberry developed by Cornell University at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York. 'Encore' is outstanding for its consistent performance over many years of testing. 'Encore' is a late season red raspberry cultivar developed for growers interested in increasing their late season production. Specifically, it has excellent winter hardiness in zone 5, very good plant production and vigor, and commercial yields of large size fruit that peak in production late in the harvest season. 'Encore' is adapted to upick, retail, and wholesale markets. Its firm fruit withstand handling and packing to produce an attractive pack for resale. 'Encore' has potential to become a leading red raspberry cultivar in the East Coast and Great Lakes regions

Brass Chamber Ensembles

Coached by Ross Wlater, Rex Richardson, and Kevin Malone

Faculty Recital, Rex Richardson, trumpet

Rex Richardson\u27s Trumpet Spectacular Magdalena Adamek, pianoTuesday, October 1, 2019 at 7pmSonia Vlahcevic Concert HallW.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts922 Park AvenueRichmond, Va.WithJeff Hudson, tubaKevin Maloney, trumpetTabatha Easley, fluteTaylor Barnett, trumpetRussell Wilson, pian

Chamber Brass Ensembles

Chamber Brass Ensemblescoached by Rex Richardson, Ross Walter, Jeff Hudson, Kevin MaloneyWednesday, April 3, 2019 at 8pmSonia Vlahcevic Concert Hall / W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts922 Park Avenue / Richmond, Va

MAKITAB system of small group learning interaction analysis : a manual for researchers and coders

The MAKITAB system of small-group learning interaction analysis has been developed over a 4 year period. When data were gathered late in 1989 on the verbal interaction of Grade 5 students participating in small-group cooperative learning, we were faced with the problem of having to develop an appropriate analysis system. An initial system was created using inductive approaches. Following further data gathering across other grade levels and subject areas, the system has undergone successive refinements. The final instrument, as presented in this manual, has reached a state of consistency that enables coding of most verbal eventualities as they occur in the small-group cooperative learning context. Furthermore, the reliability and validity of the instrument seems to have been established. The MAKAITAB instrument should facilitate useful data gathering across a broad range of small-group cooperative learning settings

[4+2] cycloadditions of iminoacetonitriles : a general strategy for the synthesis of quinolizidines, indolizidines, and piperidines

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Chemistry, 2007.Vita.Includes bibliographical references.Iminoacetonitriles participate as reactive dienophiles in intermolecular and intramolecular Diels-Alder cycloadditions leading to quinolizidines, indolizidines, and piperidines. The resultant a-amino nitrile cycloadducts are versatile synthetic intermediates which can be further elaborated by stereoselective alkylation, reduction, reductive cyclization, and Bruylants reactions. The first part of this thesis describes the full details of our studies on the synthesis of iminoacetonitriles, the scope of their Diels-Alder reactions, and the synthetic elaboration of the a-amino nitrile cycloadducts to provide access to a variety of substituted quinolizidine and indolizidine derivatives. The second part of this thesis reports on the total synthesis of quinolizidine (-)-217A and our efforts directed toward the total synthesis of indolizidine (-)-235B'.by Kevin M. Maloney.Ph.D

A detailed study of the diastereoselective catalytic hydrogenation of 6-hydroxytetrahydroisoquinoline-(3R)-carboxylic ester intermediates

A key step towards a highly-selective antagonist of ionotropic glutamate receptors entails the diastereoselective arene hydrogenation of an enantiopure tetrahydroisoquinoline. An extensive screen using parallel reactors was conducted and led to the discovery of several Pd/C catalysts giving high yield and improved diastereoselectivity from 75 : 25 to 95 : 5. A detailed kinetic study of the best system was performed and supports the reduction occuring in two-steps.