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Educational pathways and language maintenance: French as a heritage language in Australia
No full textAssociations between upper trunk rotation kinematics, shoulder and elbow joint kinetics and pitching performance in Australian baseball pitchers
No full textEarly upper trunk rotation has been associated with higher arm kinetics in American baseball pitchers. However, it has not been investigated in Australian pitchers. The purposes of this study were: (1) to investigate the reliability of 3D optoelectronic measurements of pitching mechanics; and (2) to examine the relationships between segmental angular kinematics (pelvis and trunk), arm kinetics and pitching performance (ball velocity and spin rate) in Australian pitchers. 16 healthy male amateur pitchers (age 25.4 ± .7.8 yrs) were recruited to participate. Fastballs were assessed by Vicon 3D motion analysis (Oxford Metrics, UK) and Rapsodo device (Rapsodo Inc. USA). Kinematic and kinetic outcomes were found to have good to excellent trial-to-trial reliability. This study also found that higher peak shoulder proximal force was significantly associated with later onset timing of upper trunk rotation (t = 3.40,
A new xandarellid euarthropod from the lower Cambrian Emu Bay Shale, South Australia
No full textXandarellida is a clade of artiopodan euarthropods known exclusively from the early Cambrian (Series 2, Stage 3) Chengjiang biota of South China, apart from the possible inclusion of Phytophilaspis Ivantsov, 1999 from the early Cambrian Sinsk Biota of Siberia. A rare euarthropod taxon represented by four specimens from the Emu Bay Shale (Cambrian Series 2, Stage 4) of Kangaroo Island, South Australia, represents the first record of Xandarellida from East Gondwana. A new monotypic genus, Austroxandarella n. gen., is based on A. poikar n. sp., being most readily distinguished by its elongate pygidium. Close affinities to Xandarella Hou et al., 1991 are suggested by a thorax of 10 tergites, with progressive elongation of the posterior three tergites relative to the seven anterior tergites of subequal length—this elongation representing the dorsoventral decoupling of biramous appendage pairs and tergites shared by all xandarellids. Discovery of an Australian xandarellid adds more support for biogeographic affinities between East Gondwana and South China in the early Cambrian
Micron premiums and their role in Merino breeding programs
No full textMicron premiums (MP) are an appropriate means of incorporating drivers of the value of fine wool into Merino breeding programs. Changes in the relative value of wool to meat since 2003 resulted in significant changes in Merino breeding objectives and the demographics of the Australian sheep flock. Over the same period, the average MP for fine wool
Preliminary investigation of the genetics of shedding in maternal sheep
No full textThere has been increasing interest from commercial sheep producers to shift to shedding breeds such as the Dorper and Wiltshire Horn, which has triggered the development of shedding composite lines. This study analysed the genetic expression of spring shedding in adult ewes using a singlestep animal model, from which potential marker effects could be identified. Early investigations into the genetic architecture of shedding support previous literature which suggests that the trait is highly heritable and controlled by a dominant gene effect. However, further research of major SNP effects within this population and the multi-breed population within the Sheep Genetics LAMBPLAN is required
Genetic correlations between purebred and crossbred pre- and post-weaning piglet mortality
No full textPurebred performance can be a poor predictor of future crossbred performance. This study investigated the genetic correlations between purebred and crossbred individual piglet pre- and postweaning mortality traits. The estimates of the additive genetic correlations between purebred and crossbred performances (rpc) were high (pre-weaning: rpc = 0.78 ± 0.097 and post-weaning: rpc = 0.94 ± 0.112). High correlations (rpc > 0.75) demonstrate that survival traits of crossbred pigs will be improved using genetic evaluation and selection based on purebred records. 0.75) demonstrate that survival traits of crossbred pigs will be improved using genetic evaluation and selection based on purebred records
“If you build it, will they come?”—Did city commercial bank development shape the spatial evolution of foreign direct investment in China?
No full textWe examine the causal influence of city commercial bank (CCB) development on the spatial configuration of foreign direct investment (FDI) in China. Using a comprehensive panel dataset from 130 cities for the 2007–2019 period, we find that better CCB development raises the inflow and project number of FDI. However, we find the extent of this causal influence negatively moderated by local government intervention. We also demonstrate the CCB–FDI nexus to be most pronounced in eastern, southern, and central cities, and predominantly driven by the risk-sharing motive. Our results remain robust to different model specifications and identification strategies. We suggest that an efficient and innovative CCB sector can catalyze the internalization of FDI spillovers in the relatively backward northern, northwestern, and southwestern cities
Engagement With Biodiversity: Are Farmers Different From the Wider Community?
No full textThe damaging effects agriculture has on the environment have resulted, increasingly, in conflict between the urban community and farmers. The extent to which this conflict might be resolved depends, in part, on whether farmers and the wider community differ in their degree of concern for the environment. We measured the engagement of farmers and the wider community with biodiversity in New Zealand. We also investigated differences among farmers and the wider community in the antecedents of engagement, such as their involvement and goal intentions with respect to conserving biodiversity. We found that farmers and the wider community were similar in their involvement, cognitive engagement, and affective engagement with conserving biodiversity. Both had similar attitudes towards, and goal intentions regarding, conserving biodiversity, but they differed in their behavioral engagement, their behavior towards biodiversity. We found that farmers were more (not less) behaviorally engaged than the wider community. We concluded that the difference between farmers and the wider community in their behavioral engagement with protecting biodiversity was the product of differences in opportunities and opportunity costs related to such behavior. This has implications for the wider community's perception of farmers' motivations and its judgments about what constitutes “good” farming practice from an environmental perspective
IUPAC recommended experimental methods and data evaluation procedures for the determination of radical copolymerization reactivity ratios from composition data
No full textThe IUPAC working group on “Experimental Methods and Data Evaluation Procedures for the Determination of Radical Copolymerization Reactivity Ratios” recommends a robust method to determine reactivity ratios from copolymer composition data using the terminal model for copolymerization. The method is based on measuring conversion (X) and copolymer composition (F) of three or more copolymerization reactions at different initial monomer compositions (f0). Both low and high conversion experiments can be combined, or alternatively only low conversion experiments can be used. The method provides parameter estimates, but can also reveal deviations from the terminal model and the presence of systematic errors in the measurements. Special attention is given to error estimation in F and construction of the joint confidence interval for reactivity ratios. Previous experiments measuring f0 − F or f − X can also be analyzed with the IUPAC recommended method. The influence of systematic errors in the measurements on the reactivity ratio determinations is investigated, including ways to identify and mitigate such errors
Visual Evoked Potential Recording in a Rat Model of Experimental Optic Nerve Demyelination
No full textThe visual evoked potential (VEP) recording is widely used in clinical practice to assess the severity of optic neuritis in its acute phase, and to monitor the disease course in the follow-up period. Changes in the VEP parameters closely correlate with pathological damage in the optic nerve. This protocol provides a detailed description about the rodent model of optic nerve microinjection, in which a partial demyelination lesion is produced in the optic nerve. VEP recording techniques are also discussed. Using skull implanted electrodes, we are able to acquire reproducible intra-session and between-session VEP traces. VEPs can be recorded on individual animals over a period of time to assess the functional changes in the optic nerve longitudinally. The optic nerve demyelination model, in conjunction with the VEP recording protocol, provides a tool to investigate the disease processes associated with demyelination and remyelination, and can potentially be employed to evaluate the effects of new remyelinating drugs or neuroprotective therapies