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Circadian rhythms and leaf characteristics of subalpine Eucalyptus pauciflora: The effects of environmental exposure on photosynthetic machinery
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This study explored whether snow gums (Eucalyptus pauciflora) in a subalpine region use circadian rhythms for photosynthesis and whether age and exposure affect photosynthetic machinery. Fv/Fm, SPAD and specific leaf area (SLA) were measured in individual leaves to assess variation in leaf traits. Fv/Fm was not significantly different between exposed and sheltered trees, but old leaves had significantly higher Fv/Fm values than young leaves. SPAD was higher in exposed trees and old leaves had significantly higher chlorophyll content. SLA was significantly lower in old leaves, and sheltered leaves had significantly higher SLA than exposed leaves. Increase in SLA with exposure was greater in young leaves. Branches from sheltered and exposed E. pauciflora were harvested then placed in light and dark treatments. Stomatal conductance was tested at various times to determine if leaf stomata were opening without access to sunlight. At the time of this experiment, there had been no previous known studies on circadian rhythms in E. pauciflora. Conductance rates were higher in the light treatment, and across this treatment it was higher at 11 am than at night. There was no effect of exposure on conductance rates in the light treatment. In the dark treatment, exposed leaves had lower conductance rates than sheltered leaves. For sheltered and exposed leaves, conductance was greater at dawn than at 11 pm and greater again at 11 am than at dawn, suggesting E. pauciflora do use circadian rhythms for photosynthesis
Sprint speed capacity of two alpine skink species, Eulamprus kosciuskoi and Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii
Get PDFAs global average temperatures continue to rise as a result of climate change, it is increasingly important to understand how some of the most vulnerable environments may be affected. The alpine environment and specialised biota of the Kosciuszko National Park are strongly influenced by abiotic factors such as temperature. Lizard performance in particular is closely related to temperature change. This study looks at the sprint speed capacity of two alpine skink species, Eulamprus kosciuskoi and Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii, as an indicator of fitness. Lizards were collected from two sites at Rainbow Lake and Charlotte Creek. These were raced over a 1 m distance and their sprint speeds were recorded at 25 cm intervals. Trials were conducted at room and elevated temperatures, and sprint times were compared between trials, species and sex and, for females, between gravid and non-gravid individuals. It was found that fitness, as measured through sprint speed, was greater at an elevated temperature for both species, and that E. kosciuskoi were significantly faster than P. entrecasteauxii. No significant differences were found between sexes or gravid and non-gravid individuals. It is possible that the lizard species studied would benefit from increased sprint performance linked to increased average temperatures; however, if temperatures rise above the skinks’ physiological optima, it may have an extremely detrimental effect on all aspects of the lizards’ biology
Behavioural thermoregulation of alpine birds in response to low temperature in early summer
Get PDFThermoregulation in animals can be achieved physiologically and behaviourally. Alpine birds can obtain significant radiation benefits from the sun and to help conserve heat they adjust their behaviours such as perching. The aim of this study was to explore the preferences of alpine birds for temperature and illumination of perching sites. We measured the temperature and light intensity of both potential sites and actual sites where birds perched, and compared the distributions of temperature and illumination of these on cold and warm days among species. Results showed a non-random selection of temperatures on cold days and a slightly higher light preference on warm days. Among species, only the little raven (Corvus mellori) showed a preference for warmer and lighter perching sites, while other species either showed no predilection or perched in warmer places due to other factors of habitat selection. When perching, behaviours like sitting (hiding feet) and puffing were more frequent on cold days and no birds chose a shady site when the temperature was low. The influence of predation may explain the random selection of perch site in most birds. Finally, the results indicate that alpine birds may be more favoured by the warming of the alpine region. 
Rationalising religion: The role of religion and conscience in Australian politics
Get PDFThis article investigates the complex problem of the role of religion in Australian politics. As a liberal democracy, Australia is a state in which the establishment of a state religion is prohibited and the free expression of religion is upheld. Religionists, like all citizens, are free to express their personal opinions but any religious motivations should be translated into secular reasons if their opinions are to be given any weight in public policy. I trace the development of the separation of church and state, and evaluate its contemporary usefulness for understanding religion and politics in Australia. Particular regard is paid to the idea that religious authorities command the beliefs of their adherents. A case study investigating the influence of religion in the debate surrounding communism in the 1950s is analysed. In a representative democracy like Australia, it is expected that politicians represent their electorate rather than being accountable to religious authority, so this article investigates its origins in theology and its effectiveness. I propose that it would be useful to reframe our thinking about how religion informs an individual’s convictions, by viewing religion as one of many influences that shape one’s conscience. Finally, I combine and evaluate existing threads in the literature to weave a starting point of a unified ‘systems theory of conscience’ to the extent its key determinants affect public policy
So that their graves overlooked the sea: Student experience of the Philippines International Archaeological Field School
Get PDFPractical archaeological experience is essential in the training of future bioarchaeologists. This essay recounts the experience received by the author during undergraduate studies at a field school held in the Philippines. The site in Catanauan, central Philippines, provides the opportunity for students to receive training in survey, excavation, heritage work, artefact analysis and research design on real archaeological material. Furthermore, the experience encouraged independent archaeological thought and true scope in relation to the theoretical aspects of the discipline that were taught in class
Solving the Twin’s Paradox with Special Relativity
Get PDFIn this paper, we examine one of the most well known of special relativity’s apparent paradoxes: the twin’s paradox. It is regularly claimed that because this paradox contains accelerating frames that it does not belong in the domain of special relativity but must be solved via general relativity. We will demonstrate that this is not the case by considering to solutions to the paradox which only involve flat Minkowski spacetime. The first is the Doppler shift analysis which considers what each observer actually sees according to the relativistic Doppler equation which finds that both observers agree the travelling twin is younger. Then we solve it analytically by considering Rindler coordinates which quantify accelerating frames in special relativity. This will give us a numeric result which shows that the Earthbound twin ages the required amount during the turnaround according to the accelerated frame. Thus, by considering the appropriate framework, we demonstrate there is no paradox involved at all
ANU Student Research Conference: Research paper synopsis
Get PDFSachini Muller was a presenter at the 2016 ANU Student Research Conference. At the Digital Technologies and Society session, she presented her paper ‘NGOs and the Internet: An Analysis of NGO Web Presence’. Her paper has subsequently been revised and published as a Development Policy Centre Discussion Paper
Gifted underachievement: The causes of gifted underachievement, and interventions to reverse this pattern
Get PDFGiftedness is generally seen as the basis of superior academic performance. Therefore, the spectre of the gifted underachiever leaves educators scratching their heads. Despite being widely observed—a Victorian inquiry found that up to 50 per cent of gifted students do not perform at the level of which they are capable—the underlying causes of gifted underachievement are not well understood. In this article, I integrate evidence collected from interviews and from a literature review to devise a schematic for understanding gifted underachievement. I argue that giftedness is distinct from the ability to achieve. Instead, the development of gifts into talents is a continuous process, which can only occur if certain intrapersonal and environmental catalysts are present. With this understanding, I evaluate interventions schools use to reverse this trend, and analyse why certain elements of the interventions are particularly effective. I find motivation, the influence of peers and self-esteem to be particularly important catalysts. Following this, I make several recommendations as to how we can optimise learning environments to ensure these catalysts are present
Health-related care for the Neanderthal Shanidar 1
Get PDFThe bioarchaeology of care methodology is used to identify health-related care for prehistoric hominids using the skeletal indications of survival with a disability or debilitating disease that would have resulted in death if care was not given. This model involves four stages and was applied to the Neanderthal Shanidar 1 in order to evaluate the type of care possibly received by the individual and what this caregiving behaviour suggests about Neanderthal culture and behaviour. The skeletal remains of Shanidar 1 represents an adult male of advanced age who suffered from a number of debilitating pathologies that would have affected his ability to survive and contribute to his social group. Shanidar 1 required health-related care in the form of direct support and accommodation of a different role within the social group in order to survive to his age at death. The survival of Shanidar 1 to old age implies Neanderthals were capable of changing their behaviour in order to care for and accommodate injured members of their social group. This evidence of health-related care for Shanidar 1 suggests Neanderthals had a greater level of behavioural flexibility and social complexity than previously believed
Plastic landscapes, plastic identities: Akha identity on the threshold of definition
Get PDFIn his study of communities in upland Southeast Asia, James Scott cites the practice of shifting cultivation as being reflective of state evasion. The Akha tribe of Northern Thailand destabilises this correlation, and demands a more nuanced notion in which identity is actively negotiated between state intervention and traditional landscape plasticity. While historically employed as a method of state evasion, shifting agriculture has become enmeshed in Akha ritual performance as a signifier of identity. While Scott claims that shifting agriculture implies a divorce from state interaction, the Akha employ subversive agriculture techniques and adopt state policies according to highly localised conceptions. According to Forsyth and Michaud, hill people capitalise upon their capabilities within a shifting political and economic context—with the Akha adopting a system of composite swiddening and invisibly subverting state land use policies. Under a system Janet Sturgeon conceptualised as ‘landscape plasticity’, forests can become swidden fields and then revert back to forests as the Akha assert their agency to sustain mutable landscapes that incorporate both present and future use. Thus, the Akha negotiate boundaries of topography and modernity to subvert state intervention and adopt a plasticity of landscape and identity