Rights or containment? The politics of Aboriginal cultural heritage in Victoria

Aboriginal cultural heritage protection, and the legislative regimes that underpin it, constitute important mechanisms for Aboriginal people to assert their rights and responsibilities. This is especially so in Victoria, where legislation vests wide-ranging powers and control of cultural heritage with Aboriginal communities. However, the politics of cultural heritage, including its institutionalisation as a scientific body of knowledge within the state, can also result in a powerful limiting of Aboriginal rights and responsibilities. This paper examines the politics of cultural heritage through a case study of a small forest in north-west Victoria. Here, a dispute about logging has pivoted around differing conceptualisations of Aboriginal cultural heritage values and their management. Cultural heritage, in this case, is both a powerful tool for the assertion of Aboriginal rights and interests, but simultaneously a set of boundaries within which the state operates to limit and manage the challenge those assertions pose. The paper will argue that Aboriginal cultural heritage is a politically contested and shifting domain structured around Aboriginal law and politics, Australian statute and the legacy of colonial history

DYNAMIC BEHAVIOUR OF PAPER HONEYCOMB SANDWICH PANELS

Low velocity impact tests have been conducted on paper honeycomb sandwich panels. Two panel thicknesses with span length of 100 mm are used; these are 35 mm and 41 mm, respectively. The dynamic behavior of each paper honeycomb thickness is investigated using two types of indentors: hemispherical and bar. The effect of indentor, and specimen length are studied. This includes the pattern of loaddisplacement curve collapse load and energy absorbed. It concludes that the dynamic collapse load on 41 mm thickness for hemispherical indentor increases by 5% compared with 35 mm. The impact energy absorbed for hemispherical indentor increases by 36%

First record of Aequorea globosa Eschscholtz, 1829 (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) in the coast of Syria

The Indo-Pacific jellyfish Aequorea globosa Eschscholtz, 1829 was reported last year for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea from Iskenderun Bay (S. Turkey). This jellyfish was observed in the coast of Syria, on 8 January 2012, during a regular monthly sampling program

Excitonic quasiparticles in a spin-orbit Mott insulator

In condensed matter systems, out of a large number of interacting degrees of freedom emerge weakly coupled particles, in terms of which most physical properties are described. For example, Landau quasiparticles (QP) determine all electronic properties of a normal metal. The lack of identification of such QPs is major barrier for understanding myriad exotic properties of correlated electrons, such as unconventional superconductivity and non-Fermi liquid behaviours. Here, we report the observation of a composite particle in a Mott insulator Sr2IrO4---and exciton dressed with magnons---that propagates with the canonical characteristics of a QP: a finite QP residue and a lifetime longer than the hopping time scale. The dynamics of this charge-neutral bosonic excitation mirrors the fundamental process of the analogous one-hole propagation in the background of ordered spins, for which a well-defined QP has never been observed. The much narrower linewidth of the exciton reveals the same intrinsic dynamics that is obscured for the hole and is intimately related to the mechanism of high temperature superconductivity.Comment: submitted versio

What Do You Know about Alternative Energy? Development and Use of a Diagnostic Instrument for Upper Secondary School Science

The need for renewable and non-fossil fuels is now recognised by nations throughout the world. Consequently, an understanding of alternative energy is needed both in schools and in everyday life-long learning situations. This study developed a two-tier instrument to diagnose students’ understanding and alternative conceptions about alternative energy in terms of: sources of alternative energy, greenhouse gas emission, as well as advantages, and disadvantages. Results obtained with Years 10 and 11 students (n = 491) using the 12-item two-tier instrument (α = 0.61) showed that students’ understanding of alternative energy was low (M = 7.03; SD = 3.90).The 23 alternative conceptions about alternative energy sources that could be identified from the instrument are reported. The implications for teaching and learning about alternative energy and suggestions for further development and improvement of the instrument are presented

Role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in diagnosis of pleural effusion of different origins

AbstractBackgroundThe undiagnosed pleural effusions are an important clinical problem so scientists spent much effort and time in searching for a new parameter to help in the diagnosis of pleural effusions. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) helps in differentiation between malignant and inflammatory pleural effusions and might play an important role in tumor progression and the formation of malignant effusions.Aim of the workTo determine the level of pleural fluid VEGF in order to evaluate its value as a marker for differentiation between different types of pleural effusions.Subjects and methodsThe present study was conducted on 73 patients with pleural effusion, admitted to Kasr Elaini Hospital (Chest Department) during the period from August 2011 to October 2012, after having their written consent. All patients were subjected basically to full history taking, thorough clinical examination, routine laboratory investigations, plain chest radiography thoracentesis. Medical thoracoscopy was carried out for cases with undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion (n=46).ResultsPleural fluid VEGF, and pleural fluid VEGF/serum VEGF ratio both are highest in malignant pleural effusion with statistically high significance (p<0.001), followed by infectious effusion then tuberculous one. Using ROC curve analysis, the cut-off used for VEGF in pleural fluid in discriminating malignant from other groups is 1800pg/ml with sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 96%.ConclusionVEGF is highest in malignant pleural effusion. The differential diagnosis of effusions might be further improved by including vascular endothelial growth factor concentrations into the diagnostic armentarium available to the clinician

Ab-initio study of the bandgap engineering of Al(1-x)Ga(x)N for optoelectronic applications

A theoretical study of Al(1-x)Ga(x)N, based on full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method, is used to investigate the variations in the bandgap, optical properties and non-linear behavior of the compound with the variation of Ga concentration. It is found that the bandgap decreases with the increase of Ga in Al(1-x)Ga(x)N. A maximum value of 5.5 eV is determined for the bandgap of pure AlN which reaches to minimum value of 3.0 eV when Al is completely replaced by Ga. The static index of refraction and dielectric constant decreases with the increase in bandgap of the material, assigning a high index of refraction to pure GaN when compared to pure AlN. The refractive index drops below 1 for photon energies larger than 14 eV results group velocity of the incident radiation higher than the vacuum velocity of light. This astonishing result shows that at higher energies the optical properties of the material shifts from linear to non-linear. Furthermore, frequency dependent reflectivity and absorption coefficients show that peak value of the absorption coefficient and reflectivity shifts towards lower energy in the UV spectrum with the increase in Ga concentration. This comprehensive theoretical study of the optoelectronic properties of the alloys is presented for the first time which predicts that the material can be effectively used in the optical devices working in the visible and UV spectrum.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figure

Cambios en el flavor debidos al efecto de diferentes materiales de envases en almacenamiento de aceite de semilla de algodón, aceite hidrogenado y margarina.

Bleached cottonseed oil, partially hydrogenated palm oil and margarine were packed in metal cans and white plastic bottles and stored for seven months at room temperature on side bench. Assessment of the stability of the oils towards flavour deterioration was reported. The deterioration of flavour developed from bleached cottonseed oil, partially hydrogenated palm oil and margarine was observed due to increase amount of aldehydes and ketones which play an important role in deterioration of the oils. From the results we found metal can offered suitable and better protection against deterioration than plastic package for cottonseed oil, partially hydrogenated palm oil. While plastic container was better for storing margarine and this is due to the presence of water and salt in margarine where they compose about 16% and 2% respectively.Aceite de semilla de algodón decolorado, aceite de palma parcialmente hidrogenado y margarina fueron envasados en latas metálicas y botellas de plástico blancas y almacenados durante siete meses a temperatura ambiente en estantes. Se relacionó la evaluación de la estabilidad de los aceites con la deterioración del flavor. La deterioración del flavor producida en aceite de semilla de algodón decolorado, aceite de palma parcialmente hidrogenado y margarina fue observada debido al aumento en la cantidad de aldehídos y cotonas que juegan un importante papel en la deterioración de los aceites. A partir de los resultados obtenidos se encontró que las latas metálicas ofrecieron una adecuada y mejor protección frente a la deterioración que los envases de plásticos para aceite de semilla de algodón y aceite de palma parcialmente hidrogenado. Por otra parte, los recipientes de plástico fueron mejores para el almacenamiento de margarina y esto es debido a la presencia de agua y sales en ella en una proporción del 16% y 2% respectivamente