The role of geological structures and relict channels in the development of dryland salinity in the wheatbelt of Western Australia

A cluster of acute melioidosis cases occurred in a remote, coastal community in tropical Western Australia. Molecular typing of Burkholderia pseudomallei isolates from culture-confirmed cases and suspected environmental sources by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of XbaI chromosomal DNA digests showed that a single PFGE type was responsible for five cases of acute infection in a community of around 300 during a 5 week period. This temporal and geographical clustering of acute melioidosis cases provided a unique opportunity to investigate the environmental factors contributing to this disease. B. pseudomallei isolated from a domestic tap at the home of an asymptomatic seroconverter was indistinguishable by PFGE. Possible contributing environmental factors included an unusually acid communal water supply, unrecordable chlorine levels during the probable exposure period, a nearby earth tremor, and gusting winds during the installation of new water and electricity supplies. The possible role of the potable water supply as a source of B. pseudomallei was investigated further.

Download Full-text

The role of biogenic processes in extraction of Ce during laterite weathering at Mount Weld REE deposit, Western Australia

10.7185/gold2021.3678 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Irina Zhukova ◽

Shao-Yong Jiang ◽

Andrey Korsakov ◽

Aleksandr Stepanov ◽

David Murphy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Western Australia

Download Full-text

A comparative account of the reproductive cycles of five species of marine mussels (Bivalvia: Mytilidae) in the vicinity of Fremantle, Western Australia

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf9670175 ◽

1967 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

pp. 175 ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

BR Wilson ◽

EP Hodgkin

Keyword(s):

Reproductive Cycle ◽

Western Australia ◽

Marine Species ◽

Spawning Season ◽

Latitudinal Distribution ◽

Marine Mussels ◽

Reproductive Cycles ◽

Determining Factor ◽

Pacific Species

Descriptions are given of the reproductive cycles of five marine species of mussels. Two of these species have a southern Australian distribution and three are tropical Indo-Pacific species or have Indo-Pacific affinities. The reproductive cycles differ significantly, each species exhibiting a characteristic breeding pattern. A distinction is drawn between the season of gametogenic activity and the much narrower season of actual spawning. In four of the species the major features of the reproductive cycle correlate with latitudinal distribution. This is interpreted as evidence supporting the role of temperature as a principal determining factor in the control of broader aspects of the reproductive cycle (i.e. duration and season of gametogenic activity). Differences in finer details of the reproductive cycles (e.g. spawning season and number of spawning peaks) appear to be controlled by unknown factors besides temperature.

Download Full-text

The Occupational Background of Intending Teachers

Australian Journal of Education ◽

10.1177/000494417301700108 ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 69-79 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Owen McKevitt ◽

Graham Douglas

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Secondary Teachers ◽

Western Australia ◽

Teachers College ◽

Teachers Perceptions ◽

Dental Practitioners ◽

Professional Workers ◽

Occupational Background ◽

The University

Knowledge of occupational origins from which teachers are recruited may influence decision-making by recruitment officers. For administrators, it may provide guidelines to understanding teachers' perceptions of their role, of students and the school. The authors examined occupational origins of bonded students proceeding, in 1970 and 1971, to the University of Western Australia through Secondary Teachers' College. Data show that teaching attracts, especially, sons and daughters of teachers, along with those of a limited number of other workers also categorized by the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics as ‘professional, technical and related workers’. Teaching apparently fails to attract even moderate numbers from homes of other important professional workers, including medical and dental practitioners, lawyers, non-pharmaceutical chemists, physicists, geologists, biologists, veterinarians and agronomists.

Download Full-text

Developing Visualisation Prototypes from EZproxy Server Logs to Understand Information Seeking Behaviour of Curtin Library Users

Preservation Digital Technology & Culture ◽

10.1515/pdtc-2018-0007 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 47 (1) ◽

pp. 23-26 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Keyword(s):

Western Australia ◽

Information Seeking ◽

Information Science ◽

Full Time ◽

Data Visualisation ◽

Senior Lecturer ◽

Massive Datasets ◽

Library Users ◽

Valuable Role

AbstractDuring a 10-week, full-time research internship at Curtin University’s HIVE (Hub for Immersive Visualisation and eResearch) Center in Western Australia, Aaron Kent worked on visualising massive datasets documenting the information seeking behaviours of the university’s Robertson Library patrons at the request of Peter Green, Amanda Bellenger, and Matthew Robinson from the Curtin Library. Supervisor of the project, Senior Lecturer in Library, Records, Archives and Information Science, Dr. Pauline Joseph, talks to PDT&C about the research, curation of the datasets, and the emerging and valuable role of data visualisation.

Download Full-text

A levee breach induced by internal erosion in Western Australia.

Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology ◽

10.1144/qjegh2021-037 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. qjegh2021-037

Author(s):

Scott Davidson ◽

Paul Baker

Keyword(s):

Western Australia ◽

Internal Erosion ◽

North Coast ◽

Sandy Gravel ◽

Content Type ◽

The North ◽

Levee Breach ◽

Piping Erosion ◽

A Site

This case study presents a levee breach induced by piping erosion under cyclonic conditions in 2019. The levee is a 2.5 m high, 500 m long, mass earth fill embankment; with no cut-off trench, core, or ancillary structures. Located near Port Hedland on the north coast of Western Australia; its purpose is diversionary, to redirect cyclonic surface water away from the nearby Great Northern Highway. The levee was founded directly on Alluvium in 1987; and formed of locally sourced clayey sandy gravel. In 2003, the levee was partially excavated to enable the placement of a buried pipeline through the levee.Following a cyclonic event in 2019, a 27 m length of the levee breached, resulting in significant scour of the foundation and downstream soil. A site visit and investigation were conducted shortly thereafter, where in situ testing and laboratory soil tests on the levee and foundation materials were conducted.Analysis of the site observations and laboratory testing data led to the probable failure mechanism being theorised as having been initiated within the foundation by piping erosion within sand-rich beds of Alluvium. The large quantity of water ponding upstream of the levee then caused a progressive washout and breach of the levee.Thematic collection: This article is part of the Role of water in destabilizing slopes collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/Role-of-water-in-destabilizing-slopes

Download Full-text