North Sydney Research Articles

Using high‐resolution multi‐spectral imagery to estimate habitat complexity in open‐canopy forests: can we predict ant community patterns?

The structure and composition of arthropod assemblages are strongly associated with habitat complexity. Accurate, time efficient estimates of habitat complexity may provide insights for biodiversity management in natural systems. We obtained high‐resolution (0.7 m pixel) multi‐spectral aerial imagery of National Parks 20 km north and 20 km south of Sydney, Australia. We explored both the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the standard deviation of reflectance in the near‐infrared spectrum (stdevRNIR) as indicators of low and high habitat complexity in sandstone forests north of Sydney. We then tested described predictions of ant community patterns (based on a previous study) using sites selected from high‐resolution multi‐spectral imagery in sandstone forests south of Sydney. Ground‐scored habitat complexity was positively correlated with NDVIs and, to a lesser extent, stdevRNIR values in sandstone forests north of Sydney. As predicted, ant species richness was negatively correlated with NDVIs in forests to the south of Sydney. Also, ant species composition was different in areas with contrasting NDVIs. The ant species driving composition differences responded to habitat complexity in a similar way in forests to the north, and south, of Sydney. The strong association we detected between NDVIs and habitat complexity, most likely reflects the relatively exposed nature of the vegetative layers in the forests we sampled. Remote sensing, integrated with quantitative research testing predictive faunal responses to vegetation structure and biomass at landscape scales, may provide efficient means of estimating biodiversity for management in particular habitats.

Industry Clusters and Sydney's ITT Sector: northern Sydney as ‘Australia's Silicon Valley’?

This paper examines the claim that the North Ryde–North Sydney arc is Australia's ‘Silicon Valley’, seeking firstly to identify the empirical validities behind the claim, and secondly to ask how the documented patterns might be explained. The paper evidences the fact that this area indeed provides the pre-eminent site for Australia's information technology and telecommunications (ITT) sector. However, examination of this industry suggests that its expansion in Sydney has been motivated primarily by the increasing centrality of advanced producer services within the high-order business sector. It is Sydney's attributes for multinational business, as opposed to the propulsive dynamics of local clustering per se, which appears to explain the spatial concentration of these activities. Thus, it is the urbanisation economies of Sydney more than the localisation economies of the ITT sector which account for the growth of this sector in the city. Nevertheless, localisation economies are sporadically significant, suggesting that Sydney's ITT sector is to a certain extent a hybrid product of the two types of economies.

Redundancies at North Sydney Ferry Terminal

In 1968, following technical change at the North Sydney Ferry Terminal, the working force needed will be 100 men instead of 800 working regularly and 200 on a part time basis. In this article, the author analyses the human problems arising from a technological change and the solutions brought forward by a committee.

The prevalence of venous thromboembolism after hip and knee replacement surgery

To determine the prevalence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after total hip replacement (THR), total knee replacement (TKR) or bilateral TKR in a large sample of patients in a major hospital orthopaedic unit. The Mater Misericordiae Hospital, North Sydney, NSW, a 195-bed private hospital. All patients who had THR, TKR or bilateral TKR at the hospital between 1 April 1995 and 31 December 2001 had physical prophylaxis (graduated compression elastic stockings or intermittent pneumatic compression, or both) and chemical prophylaxis (anticoagulant) against VTE. All underwent ultrasonography of both legs before discharge, with a small, symptomatic group also undergoing a ventilation/perfusion lung scan (V/Q scan) and computed tomographic pulmonary angiography. Prevalence of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) and symptomatic pulmonary embolism (PE) before discharge. Among a total of 5999 patients, the pre-discharge prevalence of DVT after THR, TKR or bilateral TKR was 8.9%, 25.6% and 36.9%, respectively. The prevalence of symptomatic non-fatal in-hospital PE was 1.9%, while the prevalence of fatal in-hospital PE was 0.05%. Despite short-term chemical and physical thromboprophylaxis, the prevalence of DVT after lower-limb joint replacement, measured by pre-discharge ultrasonography, was high. The rate of symptomatic non-fatal in-hospital PE was moderate, but fatal in-hospital PE was rare.

Celebrating 15 years of Bug Breakfast

Bug Breakfast is the name given to a monthly series of hour-long breakfast seminars on communicable diseases delivered by the Division of Population Health of the NSW Department of Health. The Centre for Epidemiology and Research and the Centre for Health Protection coordinate the content and delivery of the sessions. First delivered in 1990, the purpose of Bug Breakfast is to keep participants abreast of current issues relating to the management of communicable diseases in NSW. It also forms part of the training for public health officer trainees. The audience for Bug Breakfast has grown considerably over the past 15 years. Since 1999 the sessions have been made available to rural public health sites across NSW by videoconferencing through the resources of the NSW Telehealth Initiative. Currently 11 sites (see Figure 1) are routinely connected to Bug Breakfast, with the seminar transmitted from the live site at the NSW Department of Health, North Sydney. Over a hundred people regularly participate in each session.

Water views: Water-based survey methods on Cowan Creek, New South Wales

A survey of shell midden sites within the Cowan Creek area, which lies to the north of Sydney, was conducted over a period of five months. The survey design was based upon a site location printout obtained from the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System. Due to the ruggedness of the terrain within the area, the sites were first identified from the water, and GPS was used to verify the coordinates. The location of the sites was then confirmed on foot. During the survey potential habitation sites were also examined, and a total of thirty-eight new sites containing middens, were identified and recorded for inclusion on the site register with National Parks. Recorded site density, as a result of the survey, has increased along Coal and Candle Creek from 0.5 sites /linear km, to 8.5 sites/linear km. Surface examinations of the midden deposits in this area suggest that Trichomya hirsuta andCrassostrea commercialis were strongly favoured by Aboriginal people in the past. The results of the survey indicate that the water-based survey method adopted for the purposes of this project was highly efficient in the location of sites containing middens in Cowan Creek, within a short period of time. The results also indicate that a great deal of this information is being rapidly degraded within the area, with the majority of sites displaying damage due to both natural and anthropogenic influence, despite the protection afforded by inclusion of all of these sites within a National Park.

Fire resistance of timbers from tropical countries and comparison of experimental charring rates with various models

Tropical hardwood species are more and more used in the field of construction due to the particular qualities they can offer. Presently it is no longer possible to envisage the development of construction materials and products without taking into consideration the problem of their fire behaviour, and more particularly of their fire resistance. In the case of timber elements, this characteristic is mainly influenced by the charring rate of the external layers of the element. On the other hand this parameter is influenced by the density of the material. Limited information is available on the charring rate of tropical hardwood species. Therefore experimental investigations have been conducted at the University of Liege to study this characteristic. Seven tropical and three timber species from temperate countries have been examined. Two types of test have been used, one on small specimens, the other on a construction element made of one single material. In the first type, 20 specimens have been manufactured by gluing several laminates together. The specimens were instrumented with four thermocouples inserted at various depths in four different laminates. In the second type, a non-loaded wall made of 12 glued-laminated spruce beam profiles was instrumented with thermocouples embedded at different depths in the panel for the evaluation of the charring rate. Experimental charring rates have been compared with the results derived from Eurocode EC5-1.2 recommendation [ENV 1995-1-2. Eurocode 5: Design of timber structures – Part 1–2: General rules – Structural fire design. European prestandard; 1994], Australian standard AS 1720.4 relation [AS 1720.4. Timber structures Part 4: fire resistance of structural timber members. North Sydney, Australia: Standards Australia; 1990] and White’s model [Charring rates of different wood species. PhD dissertation. Madison University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 1988; White RH, Erik V, Nordheim EV. Charring rate of wood for ASTM E119 exposure. Fire Technol 1992;28(1)]. This comparison shows that the results obtained from these three models are not entirely satisfactory for tropical hardwood species. Therefore a new model has been proposed.

Travel insurance and medical evacuation

Medical Journal of AustraliaVolume 180, Issue 9 p. 484-486 Letter Travel insurance and medical evacuation Howard Roby, Corresponding Author Howard Roby Specialist in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care; and Medical Director macroby@ozemail.com.au Customer Care Medical Assistance, Private Bag 913, North Sydney, NSW 2059.Correspondence: macroby@ozemail.com.auSearch for more papers by this author Howard Roby, Corresponding Author Howard Roby Specialist in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care; and Medical Director macroby@ozemail.com.au Customer Care Medical Assistance, Private Bag 913, North Sydney, NSW 2059.Correspondence: macroby@ozemail.com.auSearch for more papers by this author First published: 03 May 2004 https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2004.tb06039.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume180, Issue9May 2004Pages 484-486 RelatedInformation

Prevalence of asthma and allergy in schoolchildren in Belmont, Australia: three cross sectional surveys over 20 years

We have previously shown that the prevalence of asthma in Australian primary schoolchildren increased substantially between 1982 and 1992.1 Similar increases have been reported in studies of children of different...

Decreased survival for childhood leukemia in proximity to television towers.

Previously, an increased risk of childhood leukemia was identified among children who resided in an inner ring (radius -4 km) of 3 municipalities surrounding television towers, compared with children who resided in an outer ring (radius approximately 4-12 km) of 6 municipalities surrounding, but farther away from, the towers, which are situated in North Sydney, Australia. In the current study, the authors examined the survival experience of these children for all childhood leukemias, and for acute lymphatic leukemia (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 9th revision [ICD-9] rubric 204.0) in particular. Of 123 cases of acute lymphatic leukemia, 29 cases (16 of whom died) were in the inner ring of municipalities nearest the towers, and 94 cases (34 of whom died) occurred in the outer, more-distant ring. There was a significant difference in survival rates between the 2 groups (log-rank test, p = 0.03; Wilcoxon, p = 0.05). The 5-yr survival in the inner ring of municipalities was 55%, and in the outer ring was 71% (i.e., subjects in the inner ring were 23% less likely to survive than those in the outer ring); at 10 yr, survival in the inner and outer rings was 33% and 62%, respectively. Following adjustment, the mortality rate ratio that the authors used to compare the inner ring with the outer ring was 2.1 (95% confidence interval = 1.1, 4.0). There was an association between residential proximity to the television towers and decreased survival among cases of childhood leukemia in North Sydney, Australia.

Part 3: Results

There were 55 people present at the live site in North Sydney, of whom three were presenters and two were investigators. These five individuals did not complete a participant questionnaire.

Mervyn Edward Griffiths 1914-2003. An obituary by Tom Grant

MERV GRIFFITHS was born in Sydney on 8th July 1914, grew up in Northbridge and was educated in schools in North Sydney, including North Sydney Boys’ High School, which he attended from 1930-32. He entered what he, mischievously referred to as “The University” [University of Sydney] in 1934 to study Zoology. This period was difficult financially for all, including the University of Sydney, but in spite of the effects of underfunding and crowded conditions, Merv followed his biological interests under the tutelage of Professor W. J. Dakin and a small staff in the Zoology Department. He shared the Caird Scholarship and Haswell Prize with his friend and colleague Darcy Gilmour in 1936, obtained his Bachelor Degree in Zoology with first Class Honours in 1937, followed by his Master of Science in 1938. Merv first began publishing in the scientific literature in 1936 with a paper on The colour changes in batoid fishes in the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales.

The Bunya in Queensland's Forests

Much publicity has been given over the past decade to the discovery of the Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis) north of Sydney and its status as a ‘living fossil’. It is not generally realised that the bunya (Araucaria bidwillii), a unique part of Queensland's forests, has a similar status. The tree is the last surviving species of the section Bunya of the genus Araucaria. This section was more diverse and widespread during the Mesozoic, (Table 1), with some species having cone morphology similar to A. bidwillii appearing during the Jurassic with fossils extending into the northern hemisphere.

Belonging: Australians, Place And Aboriginal Ownership

Belonging: Australians, Place And Aboriginal Ownership Peter Read Cambridge University Press, 2000, ISBN O 521 77409 8, Reviewed by Sue J Stanton An interesting book which explores the feelings of non-Aboriginal Australians as they search for real sense of belonging in a stolen land. The opening chapter 'Deep in the Sandstone Gorges' introduces the reader to the author's own feelings of attachment and belonging to the sandstone country and surrounds of the north Sydney district. He is careful for the reader to note the different and many ceremonies of significance, which anchor him and different generations of family and acquaintances to these places. He tells us he belongs there - he makes a strong statement, almost a challenge, in regard to his right to belong. Read has ably represented Aborigines in some past writings, and makes some effort with his inclusion of the Aboriginal voice in this work so as to give the book some balance. The first section of the chapter 'Men's Business' gives possibly the best example, and the largest portion of Aboriginal sense of belonging, albeit, experienced by a non-Aboriginal person. 'Singing the Native-Born', in adhering to the overall theme of the book, has as the overriding topic in many places, and in various genres, the constant need for non-Aborigines especially, to justify their belonging. The native-born appear to take great comfort from their notions of attachment to the land through hard work that Aborigines do not seem to be involved in, or never have been involved in, in any capacity. The white man on the land, who works through fire and flood because it's in his heart and in his blood, tells us he has more right to belong. The native-born seeks the support of a cross-section of non-Aboriginal Australians, through prose, song, and general attitude, to reinforce belonging. The native-born feel if they write enough, sing enough, and make constant expression about belonging, in whatever form, it will eventually legitimate belonging for them, and will erase the truth. Read's research in regard to others' sense of belonging is limited with its carefully selected group of non-Aborigines relating personal experiences and explorations of feelings, and their individual sense of belonging. The added voices of the newly arrived Australians helps legitimate the belonging. These Australians are fortunate in that they are able to distance themselves somewhat from Australian colonial practices and attitudes, past and present. They do not stand accused and feel they owe no apology for they are displaced themselves, and seek to belong to this place too. They, along with the native-born, bring with them multifarious traditions, languages, politics, and gods, which they wish to transpose onto this land and its indigenous people. Sadly, these newcomers feel they must participate in the never-ending self-justificatory discourse of the coloniser, and they too, confuse a sense of belonging with right of possession. Read takes comfort from their support. It seems these Australians have a sense that their identities as native-born or newly-arrived are somehow shallow in comparison with not only the long-time resident Aborigines, but also with their own ancestors. They worry, and fear, that unless Aborigines acknowledge the importance of their difference, their contributions to all aspects of social life, their feelings. …

Ecological assessment and strategies for the management of mangroves in Brisbane Water—Gosford, New South Wales, Australia

Brisbane Water is an estuary located at Gosford, 50 km north of Sydney on the east coast of Australia. It contains seagrass, mangrove and saltmarsh habitat. As part of a more widespread trend along the southeast coast of Australia, between 1954 and 1995 saltmarsh habitat within the estuary declined by 78.2% while mangrove habitat fluctuated with initial decline, recovery and further decline to 1995 with an overall increase by 3.7% and exhibiting a marked migration of mangroves into saltmarsh areas. No single factor is responsible for the changes. A combination of both natural and human induced processes is responsible. The loss of diversity and the sustainability of mangroves and saltmarshes require a strategic planning approach towards their management. Such an approach needs to ensure that estuarine and catchment processes are considered in an integrated manner. The influence of human activities on natural processes, which affects the extent and distribution of estuarine wetlands, can also be managed through an integrated planning process.

Stocking density and growth of the Pacific oyster ( Crassostrea gigas) and the Sydney rock oyster ( Saccostrea glomerata) in Port Stephens, Australia

Effects of stocking density on changes of total mass and tissue mass of two commercially important species, the Sydney rock oyster ( Saccostrea glomerata) and the Pacific oyster ( Crassostrea gigas) were examined at Port Stephens, an estuary 250 km north of Sydney (eastern Australia). The lowest density used (80 individuals/tray; ∼50% tray-area coverage) represented a lower stocking density than that generally used by local oyster farmers. The medium density represented a stocking density generally used by local oyster farmers (120 individuals/tray; ∼75% tray-area coverage). The high density used contained 160 individuals/tray (∼100% tray-area coverage). The experiment ran for 9 months, from September 1999 to June 2000. Both species showed a continuous increase in total mass (shell plus soft tissues) but density effects were absent. Somatic growth showed a different pattern. For S. glomerata, positive somatic growth was observed during spring and autumn and for C. gigas, only during autumn. Thus, shell growth and somatic growth were uncoupled. Density effects on somatic mass were significant but small. Generally, differences in somatic mass between the animals kept at a low and medium density were insignificant, but somatic mass of individuals kept at a high density were significantly smaller. In terms of production of total mass of S. glomerata, differences between the medium and high stocking density were not significant but production at these densities was significantly larger than at the low density. Production of C. gigas was significantly different among densities, the largest production at the high, and the smallest at the low density. Total production of C. gigas was slightly but not significantly larger than that for S. glomerata at the low and medium density, and significantly larger at the high density. The significance of this study is that it confirms the generally anecdotal information concerning the negative relationship between stocking density and growth of oysters and makes this information available to the scientific community.

Seismic Damage in NSW, Australia: Construction Insurance, Social, and Economic Consequences

Earthquakes in 1999 and 2000 in Taiwan, Pakistan, and Turkey draw attention to the possibility of an earthquake occurring in a center of population in many diverse locations. In 1992, there was a serious earthquake in Cairo, Egypt, and another in Saudi Arabia. There were fatalities in each of these earthquakes. The most serious and recent earthquake to affect Sydney occurred in December 1989. The center of that earthquake was in Hamilton near Newcastle, 100 kilometers north of Sydney. The office of one of the writers of this paper was destroyed in that earthquake. This paper documents examples of building failures during the 1989 earthquake in Newcastle, Australia. Postdisaster investigative processes are presented, relationships between the insurance companies and building owners are reviewed, and examples are included of repairs after the earthquake. The social and subsequent economic consequences in the decade following the earthquake are discussed. Readers in regions of frequent seismic activities are already familiar with many of the concepts presented in this paper. The value of the paper is the direct observations by the writers, following a rare event in an area not frequented by seismic activities.

Effect of biosolids compost on two NSW coastal soils used to grow vegetables

The study compares the effects of biosolids compost (BC) and inorganic fertiliser (IF) on the nutrient status of a clay loam at Rydalmere in Western Sydney, and an earthy sand at Somersby, 85 km north of Sydney. The soils represent the textural range used for vegetable production in the Sydney Basin of New South Wales. The soils had been under permanent sod (Rydalmere) or native vegetation (Somersby) for at 40 years prior to the experiment. There were 3 treatments during February 1994: IF, fallow (F), and BC. The same plots were treated again during September 1994 to give the combinations: IF followed by IF (IF + IF); F by BC (F + BC); BC by BC (BC + BC). The 4 replicates of each treatment were randomised in blocks. Treatments were incorporated into raised beds to a depth of 15 cm and vegetables were planted in March and again in October 1994. The total amounts of C and N initially present in the soil in the beds (0-15 cm) at Rydalmere were at least 3 times greater than at Somersby and the ratio was greater for S, P, Ca, Mg, K, and Na. By April 1995, the quantities of the 8 monitored nutrients had decreased at both sites for the IF + IF treatment; increased at Somersby, but not at Rydalmere for F + BC; and increased at both sites for the BC + BC treatment. The changes caused by the BC + BC treatment were greater in relative terms at Somersby, because of the initial difference in fertility between the 2 soils. For example, the C and N content increased by an approximate factor of 2 at Somersby, and by greater factors for the other elements. BC + BC was also the only treatment to increase other indices of fertility, such as effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC) and Bray-P, in the surface 15 cm. The treatments did not affect pH in the soil profile (0-50 cm) and increases in EC were ephemeral. The nutrient composition of the 20-30 cm zone was affected at both sites. By the end of the experiment the concentration of C, N, P, Ca, and Bray-P increased and Mg decreased. For C and N between-treatment differences were small, indicating that the observed effects were mostly caused by leaching of the products of mineralisation of soil organic matter. Treatment effects were larger for P, Ca, Mg, and Bray-P, and the final concentrations for the F + BC and BC + BC treatments exceeded those for the IF + IF treatment. At Somersby, both BC treatments increased ECEC, consistent with the importance of leaching as a process of nutrient loss at this site. Consequently, intensive vegetable cropping may pose serious environmental risks particularly on sandy sites.

Distribution of Drosophila serrata Malloch (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in Australia with particular reference to the southern border

AbstractThe distribution of the fly Drosophila serrata Malloch in Australia was characterised in light of the increasing use of this species as an evolutionary model system. A synthesis of previous collections suggested that D. serrata was limited to the eastern and northern coastal areas, with a southern border approximately 200 km north of Sydney and that this species utilised a wide range of resources as breeding sites. Additional collections suggested that the southern border changed seasonally, shifting some 270 km to Wollongong in late summer and autumn. Simulations using CLIMEX implicate cold stress in limiting the southern distribution.

Fungi associated with dieback of Semillon grapevines in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales

In the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, 180 km north of Sydney, 11 sites in six vineyards were surveyed for fungi associated with vine decline and dieback symptoms in Semillon grapevines from September 1995 to January 1996. Botryosphaeria obtusa (Schwein.) Shoemaker was detected in affected vines on most of the sites. Greeneria uvicola (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Punithalingam and Pestalotiopsis sp. were also commonly isolated but the role of these fungi in the dieback symptoms remains uncertain. The occurrence of Eutypa lata (Pers.: Fr.) Tul. & C. Tul. in grapevines exhibiting dieback in the region remains unconfirmed. In pathogenicity studies, B. obtusa was shown to cause internal symptoms such as dark streaking in the wood of inoculated vines.