A temporal waterline approach to mapping intertidal areas using X-band marine radar

Mapping the morphology of intertidal areas is a logistically challenging, time consuming and expensive task due to their large expanse and difficulties associated with access. A technique is presented here that uses standard marine navigational radar operating at X-band frequency. The method uses a series of time-exposure radar images over the course of a two-week tidal cycle to identify the elevation of the wetting and drying transitions at each pixel in the radar images, thereby building up a morphological map of the target intertidal area. This “Temporal Waterline” method is applied to a dataset acquired from Hilbre Island at the mouth of the Dee Estuary, UK, spanning March 2006 to January 2007. The radar gathered data with a radial range of 4 km and the resulting elevation maps describe the intertidal regions of that area. The results are compared with airborne LiDAR data surveyed over the same area and within the radar survey time period. The residual differences show good agreement across large areas of beach and sandbanks, with concentrations of poor estimations around points that are shadowed from the radar or likely to suffer from pooling water. This paper presents the theoretical framework of the method and demonstrates its stability and accuracy. The Temporal Waterline radar method is aimed at providing a useful tool for the monitoring and operational management of coastlines

Bulldust, flat tyres and roadkill: a disorderly decolonising fieldwork journey through remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the iterations and outcomes of a doctoral fieldwork experience where the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants challenged me to radically adapt my constructivist grounded theory methodology and commence decolonising data gathering and analysis while in the field. The starting point for the research was a discourse of defeatism in the literature around mature-age Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university graduates and students, which the participants, my doctoral supervisors and I perceived as unjust and unjustifiable. The aim of the ongoing research, therefore, is to explore and explicate an alternative discourse, beginning with the emic perspectives of mature- age Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university graduates. In the context of the remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander field, I detail the early and some- what disorderly enactment of decolonising methodology — disorderly because I was unprepared for the extent to which the participants would take control of both the research agenda and methods. Disorder also partly characterised our collabora- tive methodological adaptation, in that it was initially more intuitive than deliber- ate. I discuss how the participants shifted the post-graduation narrative from one of personal and professional uplift to one they dubbed ‘the blessings and burdens of being an educated black’. This narrative unequivocally challenges the notion of Australia as a postcolonial society and positions the participants as activists in the fight for indigenous self-determination. I reflect on mistakes made and lessons learned, and articulate pragmatic and achievable fieldwork research methods that privilege participants as knowledge producers and custodians. The paper concludes by discussing the next stages of the decolonising constructivist grounded theory project, which necessitated a return to the field to test and refine the emerging conceptual categories with the participants, most of whom have remained active partners in the research

Brief for the Respondents, \u3cem\u3eTVA v. Hill\u3c/em\u3e, No. 76-1701

Brief for the respondents in the case of Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hiram G. Hill Jr., et al., heard by the United States Supreme Court in the October Term of 1977

Bond for Costs on Appeal, \u3cem\u3eTVA v. Hill et al\u3c/em\u3e, Civil Action No. 3-76-48

Bond for costs on appeal, in the case of TVA v. Hill et al, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Northern Divisio

CONTEMPORARY SALT-MARSH FORAMINIFERAL DISTRIBUTION FROM THE ADRIATIC COAST OF CROATIA AND ITS POTENTIAL FOR SEA-LEVEL STUDIES

Salt-marsh foraminifera serve as proxy sea-level indicators due to a quantifiable relationship with elevation in the contemporary environment. In this paper, we document the distribution of salt-marsh foraminifera from two microtidal sites, Jadrtovac and Blace, along the Adriatic coast of Croatia and assess their suitability as proxies for elevation in transfer-function-based reconstructions of sea level, which has so far evaded the Mediterranean region. The assemblages are dominated by typical salt-marsh agglutinated taxa, Jadammina macrescens and Trochammina inflata, and the calcareous taxa Ammonia spp. and Quinqueloculina spp. Quantitative analyses revealed that the assemblages are divided into three faunal zones, which are elevation dependent, and where an assemblage dominated by J. macrescens and T. inflata extends to higher elevations in the intertidal frame. The training set was used to develop a tidal- level transfer function using linear regression due to the short environmental gradients observed. The model predicts sea level with a precision of ± 0.08 m. This study highlights the strong potential of salt-marsh foraminifera in reconstructing RSL trends for the Mediterranean region, where studies of past sea-level have previously been restricted to other indicators

When good intentions are not enough: Professionals' perceptions of the South Australian communication partner scheme

Published December 2022Children and other vulnerable parties such as those with a cognitive, social or communication impairment frequently struggle to understand, and be understood in, the criminal justice environment. One way this has been addressed in jurisdictions around Australia and overseas is through the introduction of intermediary (or communication partner) schemes, whereby an independent third party assists vulnerable witnesses, and in some cases, defendants, with their communication needs. The South Australian Government introduced a trained volunteer communication partner scheme for defendants and prosecution witnesses as one element of its Disability Justice Plan in 2016. However, the scheme had relatively limited use and ceased operation on 1 March 2020. This study provides a qualitative analysis of stakeholders’ (N = 23 professionals) perceptions of how the scheme was implemented, the factors that constrained the usefulness of the scheme and how the initiative could be improved. Participants highlighted the need for a future communication partner service to include highly trained and specialized professionals situated within a government agency.Sarah Hoff, Martine Powell, David Plat

Aminopyralid + Metsulfuron-Methyl for Cost-Effective Control of Hard to Kill Pasture Weeds

This paper summarises research trials conducted from 2010 to 2013 to determine speed of brownout and efficacy of an aminopyralid + metsulfuron-methyl herbicide product in pastures compared to metsulfuron alone and current commercial standards

Human Resources Strategies & Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Literature Review

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been the most devastating public health crisis since the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1920. COVID-19 has impacted every human being and operational system throughout the land. The pandemic has caused challenging times for businesses, financial markets, government agencies, and academia. One area frequently overlooked is COVID-19’s impact implications for workplaces, working practices, and Human Resource Management (HRM) operationalization. This literature review aims to identify best practices implemented for the sustainability of Human Resources (HR) functions and the survival of institutions in the age of a dynamic public health crisis. This is an effective approach to better understand the disruptions caused by COVID-19 on HRM and examine how this pandemic has impacted organizations. The findings obtained focus on four main pillars: (1) recruitment, retention, and the Great Resignation, (2) employee well-being and wellness, (3) remote work options, practices, and professionalism, and (4) HR practitioners' leadership development. These have continued to be salient themes interwoven throughout many articles. These findings suggest that talent and having the most experienced, operationalized, and professional individuals as part of one’s organization are paramount to its success. Upskilling is imperative, and all stakeholders must be open to the inevitability of change as change is constant

Modifying the stereochemistry of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction by directed evolution

Aldolases have potential as tools for the synthesis of stereochemically complex carbohydrates. Here, we show that directed evolution can be used to alter the stereochemical course of the reaction catalyzed by tagatose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase. After three rounds of DNA shuffling and screening, the evolved aldolase showed an 80-fold improvement in k-cat/K-m toward the non-natural substrate fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, resulting in a 100-fold change in stereospecificity. (31)P NMR spectroscopy was used to show that, in the synthetic direction, the evolved aldolase catalyzes the formation of carbon—carbon bonds with unnatural diastereoselectivity, where the >99:<1 preference for the formation of tagatose 1,6-bisphosphate was switched to a 4:1 preference for the diastereoisomer, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate. This demonstration is of considerable significance to synthetic chemists requiring efficient syntheses of complex stereoisomeric products, such as carbohydrate mimetics