Re-orientating experiences : considerations for student development through virtual mobility in STEM

Outbound mobility experiences (OMEs) provide a catalyst for learning environments that foster student development to occur in a global context. In STEM, OMEs foster critical thinking, creativity and scientific literacy. However, the sudden disruption to international travel due to the recent global pandemic has seen countries worldwide plunged into lockdown and borders closed. While the shift to online learning has been challenging, it has also provided the higher education sector an opportunity for wider implementation of online experiential learning environments, such as virtual mobility. Currently there has been little exploration of the potential of transforming physical, short-term, face-to-face mobility programs to an online environment for undergraduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students. This paper seeks to understand, through existing literature, how we can meet the desired program outcomes of a physical OME to support critical thinking of undergraduate natural science students, when the OME occurs online

Plant desiccation tolerance

[No abstract available

Science under siege : necessity driving the teaching-research nexus

In recent decades there has been a major shift in Australian government policies associated with universities. These reforms have been focused largely on reducing the economic dependence of universities on government. In parallel with these reforms, there has been increasing pressure on universities to lift their performance in both teaching and research and there has been much talk of the research-teaching nexus. In this chapter we provide a case study as an example of how the authors have moved to integrate teaching and research in the face of fiscal adversity. We conclude that the outcomes were positive to all involved and provided an enhanced student learning and experience, while supporting the integration of teaching and learning for the academics involved. This integration of the twin activities of teaching and research provided academic staff with opportunities to develop their research initiatives beyond what would have otherwise been possible within the same timeframe if their research and teaching had not been entwined. However, we reflect that if science were not under siege there may not have been the incentive to change the status quo and drive the research-teaching nexus

Epizoochory, algae and the Australian eastern long-necked turtle Chelodina longicollis (Shaw)

The role of animals in seed dispersal is widely acknowledged and turtles have been reported to act as vectors. All reports of turtles dispersing seeds to date have been via endozoochrony. The first evidence of turdes being epizoochronic dispersers of seeds via their carapacial algal mat is reported here. Chelodina longicollis is widespread and abundant throughout most of the eastern fringe of mainland Australia and throughout the largest inland river system, the Murray Darling Basin. They are the most terrestrially mobile of the Australian freshwater turdes and they are the most indiscriminate in habitat choice, inhabiting the entire range of water bodies from rivers to small ephemeral wedands. Our results showed that turtles with even moderate carapacial algae can act as vectors in the dispersal of seeds associated with wetlands. However, as C. longicollis is unlikely to be unique among the freshwater turdes in this regard, we conclude that epizoochory is likely to occur in other turtle species

The effects of heat on the physical and spectral properties of bloodstains at arson scenes

This study examines the spectral characteristics of blood after being exposed to intense heat within a structural fire. Fire and intense heat have previously been understood to destroy or chemically change bloodstain evidence so that traditional forensic science recovery techniques are rendered ineffectual. Understanding the effects of the denaturation process and physical changes that occur to blood when exposed to heat may develop innovative forensic investigation methods, including the use of reflected infrared photography to enhance the recording of bloodstains. This research revealed that the denaturation of blood, specifically changes to the haemoglobin state from oxyhaemoglobin to methaemoglobin, resulted in the heat affected blood having a more optimal spectral target range within the infrared region when exposed to heat> 200 °C. It was observed both qualitatively and quantitatively using spectrophotometry, that there is a relationship between the appearance, viscosity and infrared absorption properties of blood when exposed to different temperatures as experienced in fire. This result indicated the increased potential for reflected infrared photography to be utilised as an effective tool for crime scene evidence recovery of bloodstains from arson scenes involving fire

Detection of latent bloodstains at fire scenes using reflected infrared photography

Bloodstain evidence is an element of crime scene investigation often found at scenes involving violence. Setting fire to the scene is a method sometimes used by offenders of crime in an attempt to conceal evidence. Fire often produces thick soot as a by-product of the combustion and has the potential to cover bloodstain patterns rendering them latent. There is limited published material offering a method of detecting bloodstains hidden beneath dense soot deposits caused by fire. This project employed a modified digital single-lens reflex (SLR) camera to investigate the application of reflected infrared photography to detect latent bloodstain evidence beneath varying deposited overlaying soot densities. The potential of this technique was examined by photographing blood samples beneath soot from a scaled fire simulation. A qualitative evaluation was completed by comparing images taken of a series of samples using both reflected infrared and standard visible light photography and corroborated with quantitative image analysis to support the findings. Results indicate that infrared photography can reveal latent bloodstains beneath a dense layer of soot in excess of ρ2.3 (550 nm) density with substantial clarity. The success of this technique is dependent on specific optical and specimen parameters. These parameters include (i) the reflective properties of the background surface, (ii) the spectral absorption properties of blood and (iii) the ability of infrared wavelengths to transmit through the soot layer. Reflected infrared photography may provide crime scene examiners with a specialised field recording method that is easily executed and non-destructive to assist in visualising and locating latent bloodstain patterns beneath dense layers of soot

Effects of effluent contamination of wetlands on population level changes in Gambusia holbrooki

While presence/absence of endocrine disruption has been widely observed within polluted wetlands, relatively few data have addressed population level changes for any species. This paper investigated the effects of endocrine disruption on the phenotypic sex ratio, size structure, biomass, and density of Gambusia holbrooki populations in wetlands used for storage of 1) tertiary treated sewage effluent; 2) urban stormwater runoff; and 3) wetlands without effluent supplementation (control wetlands). Those wetlands that had previously been determined to have endocrine disruption effects on G. holbrooki had lower density and biomass of fish than other wetlands. In contrast, the pattern of variation in the average length and phenotypic sex ratio of fish was not consistent with the effects of endocrine disruption

Invasive weeds in urban riparian zones : the influence of catchment imperviousness and soil chemistry across an urbanization gradient

The riparian zones of urban waterways are frequently degraded by weed invasions. This study examined the effects of different levels of catchment imperviousness, as a surrogate for the extent and intensity of urbanisation, on invasive weeds and soil physical and chemical attributes. The study was conducted adjacent to waterways in the partly urbanised Georges River catchment in south western Sydney. Vegetation and soil sampling was undertaken in the riparian zone of 10 freshwater streams in non-urban (low imperviousness), peri-urban (moderate imperviousness) and urban (high imperviousness) sub-catchments. Soil samples were tested for a suite of physical and chemical properties (moisture, bulk density, organic matter, pH, salinity, phosphorus, potassium and calcium). Increased levels of sub-catchment imperviousness and urbanisation were associated with higher weed coverage and elevated soil geochemical attributes. One of the most interesting findings in this study was that urban soil calcium concentrations were over 2000 times greater than soils collected from non-urban catchments. The BIOENV procedure identified soil pH, salinity, calcium, organic matter, moisture and catchment imperviousness to be important environmental factors associated with variation in riparian vegetation. The single factor of soil pH was most highly correlated with variations in riparian vegetation. Soil pH was approximately 1.5 units higher in urban compared to non-urban riparian soils. We speculate that there is a link between urban concrete materials, urban soil and water contaminants and riparian weed invasion. We also recommend further study into the contribution of urban concrete materials on the geochemical contamination of riparian soils

The investigation of a relative contrast index model for fingerprint quantification

The quantification of fingerprint contrast is a relatively new concept in fingerprint enhancement research. It has emerged as a mode of fingerprint assessment to reduce the potential biased of visual qualitative assessment. Subjective qualitative methods that are currently reported in the literature include; side-by-side assessment, assigning a score to a treatment based on visible criteria and stating observed results without presenting supporting validation. These qualitative methods often do not state clearly the visual assessment parameters and produce a degree of ambiguity when defining the enhancement results. The relative contrast index model was constructed to empirically quantify the difference in contrast between fingerprint ridges and valleys, using measurements gained from a microspectrophotometer. This paper seeks to further investigate this recent research and test the model using three different microspectrophotometers. Data from these separate sources will determine whether the theoretical aspects of the model would pragmatically produce reliable and repeatable results across a range of microspectrophotometers found in forensic laboratories

The assessment of impacts from mining wastes on water quality and aquatic ecosystems using freshwater macroinvertebrate communities and novel bio-assay tests

The water quality and macroinvertebrate assemblages from two sites in the Lithgow area were strongly modified by two different types of mining (mixed metals and coal).The extent and severity of these modifications differ from site to site. The abandoned Sunny Corner mixed metal mine site impacted on Daylight creek significantly more than Clarence colliery on Wollangambe River. Both sites demonstrated a decline of macroinvertebrate abundance, family richness and degradation of water quality in comparison to ANZECC ecosystem protection guidelines. A novel bio-assay (not previously used in Australian) using the introduced New Zealand Mudsnail (P.antipodarum) provided a rapid indication of the mining wastewaters impact on macroinvertebrate communities