bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Why an Air Pollution Achiever Lags on Climate Policy? The Case of Local Policy Implementation in Mie, Japan
Authors: de Oliveira Jose Antonio Puppim
Published: September 2011

Many localities that are politically committed to tackling the causes and consequences of climate change have faced obstacles in getting results, even though they were successful in implementing other environmental policies in the past. What makes implementation of climate policy different from other local environmental policies, such as air pollution control? This paper makes a comparison between the implementation of two environmental policies in Mie Prefecture in Japan. The first was the successful reduction in local air pollution (1960s–70s). The second was the more recent policy with mixed results to control the emissions of greenhouse gases (1990s–2000s). The research found several factors that can explain the differences between the implementation effectiveness of the two policies, such as immediacy and political legitimacy, the autonomy and capacity of local governments, the capacity of organized civil society and the role played by technology. Local governments still have a strong role to play, and some institutions built in the past are still effective. However, climate change asks for different approaches to local policy implementation and new institutions need to be built to fill the implementation gap.
‘Cognitive Closure’ in the Netherlands: Mortgage Securitization in a Hybrid European Political Economy
Authors: Aalbers Manuel B , Engelen Ewald , Glasmacher Anna
Published: September 2011

There is a strong case that mortgage-backed securities were at the root of the 2007–09 financial crisis. Even though geographers have convincingly demonstrated that loan origination is strongly locally rooted and that the fallout from the subprime mortgage crisis clearly had spatially circumscribed effects, securitization is still generally perceived as a universal, private, and purely market-based financial technique. In this paper we use a description of the securitization chain in the Netherlands to contest these perceptions. Building on and adding to Thomas Wainwright's analysis of securitization in the UK, we first argue that securitization in the Netherlands has taken a form which reflects Dutch corporatist institutional arrangements, implying that both geography and states do matter for the supposedly aspatial process of securitization. Second, we argue that the Dutch state has been very much implicated in the construction of the securitization market in the Netherlands. Third, we suggest that this can best be seen as an effect of ‘cognitive closure’ rather than of ‘regulatory capture’: that is, Dutch pro-banking regulation is not so much an effect of bankers hijacking regulators but, rather, more the result of bankers seducing regulators with their stories. This paper is a detailed case study of the workings of financialization and adds to the growing body of work which seeks to analyze the different ‘varieties of financialization’ and the variegated geographies of the financial crisis.
Strategic Sovereign Wealth Fund Investment and the New Alliance Capitalism: A Network Mapping Investigation
Authors: Haberly Daniel
Published: September 2011

Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) have grown rapidly in recent years both in value and in number. Despite a great deal of popular debate, very little scholarly attention has centered on the ‘strategic use’ of SWFs by states, that is, as tools to promote national development. Using a ‘network mapping’ approach, I investigate two case studies involving extensive strategic SWF investment: Qatar, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai's use of SWFs to promote the development of their aerospace sectors; and the deployment of the China Investment Corporation as an instrument of Chinese raw materials and energy policy. Strategically oriented SWF investment can be seen as a state-adaptive strategy under contemporary conditions of globalization and financialization. The viability of such a strategy, however, hinges on the manner in which it feeds into the strategies of firms and states at the receiving end of investment.
Sovereignty in the Era of Global Capitalism: The Rise of Sovereign Wealth Funds and the Power of Finance
Authors: Monk Ashby H B
Published: September 2011

Over the past few decades, the institutional logics of the capitalist market and the bureaucratic state have been pushed into association at an increasing rate through processes we have come to know as ‘globalization’ and ‘financialization’. The power of financial markets threatens governments around the world, from the communist to the most conservative. In response, governments have sought ways of realizing their interests in a rapidly changing economic environment. Nothing illustrates this phenomenon more than the rise of sovereign wealth funds (SWFs); governments have been using these special-purpose vehicles to invest assets in private financial markets at an increasing rate, independent of their variety of capitalism. While SWFs are an implicit acceptance by the state of the power of finance, they are, however, also an attempt by the state to leverage finance and filter the transformative forces of global capitalism. Drawing on institutional theory and economic geography, I conceptualize the impetus behind the existence of SWFs, and conclude that SWFs exist to preserve local autonomy and state sovereignty by harnessing the power of finance.
Spatial Patterns of Subprime Mortgages by Local Banks, Nonlocal Banks, and Independents in the Continental US
Authors: Tenenbaum Howard S , Waters Nigel M
Published: September 2011

Mortgage innovations and New Deal agencies facilitated lower priced loans for prime borrowers and minimum price disparities across US regions. In the 1980s deregulation removed price restrictions on banks' mortgages and also removed geographic distance restrictions on lending, opening the subprime industry. Global and local Moran indices identified interregional price disparities based upon proportions of subprime mortgage originations. A cluster of high-priced mortgage originations was found along the Gulf States both before and after the subprime collapse of 2007. Local banks, perceived to have special underwriting knowledge about their markets, and who were more likely to offer preferred prices, were compared with nonlocal banks and independent mortgage companies on their spatial distributions of mortgage pricing. During the boom and bust years from 2005 to 2008, the regional patterns of proportions of subprime mortgages for each mortgage institution type were similar, adversely impacting borrowers in the Southern Gulf region. These spatial patterns suggest that nonlocal banks and independents made the same underwriting conclusions about borrowers in regional markets as the local bank specialists.
School Locations and Vacancies: A Constrained Logit Equilibrium Model
Authors: Martinez Francisco J , Tamblay Loreto , Weintraub Andrés
Published: September 2011

A partial static competitive equilibrium theory is presented and the corresponding constrained logit model specified for a given scenario of policies, which yields the expected equilibrium locations, prices of schools, and students' school choices. Rational students differentiated by socioeconomic cluster demand vacancies at different schools after assessing the school quality, price, and transport costs. Students also interact among them by their valuation of who attends each school (a consumer externality). Schools and vacancies are supplied by different suppliers: private and private-subsidized providers choose school locations and type (quality, capacity, prices); public schools provide free education to fulfill demand under fixed total budgets. Producers face production economies. The Nash demand–supply equilibrium is studied with regard to the existence and uniqueness of the solution, which is solved by a fixed-point algorithm to find a unique solution. The model is applicable to assess different scenarios of regulations and subsidies, as is shown in a test example using data from Santiago, Chile.
Evaluation of Gridded Population Models Using 2001 Northern Ireland Census Data
Authors: Martin David , Lloyd Chris , Shuttleworth Ian
Published: September 2011

There is growing interest in the use of gridded population models which potentially offer advantages of stability through time and ease of integration with nonpopulation data sources. This paper assesses the accuracy of models of the type introduced by Martin in 1989. Population counts for census output areas (OAs) are reallocated to a 100 m grid and then compared with true 100 m cell population counts uniquely available from the 2001 Northern Ireland Census. This analysis is novel, being the first large-scale assessment of gridded population models against true gridded population counts. We find evidence that kernel width and cell size are more important than the distance-decay parameter; that local mass preservation approaches are more appropriate in urban areas; but that the spatial scale of input data is more important than model parameters. It is suggested that more attention needs to be given to the varying spatial structures of population between places and that incorporating this information through geostatistical approaches could yield further insights.
The Diversity of Gentrification in Houston's Urban Renaissance: From Cleansing the Urban Poor to Supergentrification
Authors: Podagrosi Angelo , Vojnovic Igor , Pigozzi Bruce
Published: September 2011

The paper explores the diversity of gentrification, which involves various types of agents and processes in driving Houston's urban renaissance. The research advances a technique that enables a broader analysis of gentrification, consistent with the approaches of Damaris Rose, Robert Beauregard, and Eric Clark to studying this process. A principal components analysis and a K-means cluster analysis revealed a grouping of fifty-four tracts in Houston, consisting of some 75 km2 just within the 610 loop (Houston's urban core), experiencing similar levels of upgrading. A qualitative analysis was developed around three case-study neighborhoods, captured from this one cluster, identifying similar scales of gentrification, but showing the internal diversity of the process: the ‘chaos' and the ‘complexity’ of gentrification. The authors explore different mechanisms of redevelopment, used in different combinations throughout the city by different types of agents, in driving reinvestment and displacement throughout Houston's urban core and surrounding neighborhoods. The research suggests that no one income group in Houston is secure in maintaining its socio-economic neighborhood composition, including the rich.
Travelling as Being: Understanding Mobility Amongst Scottish Gypsy Travellers
Authors: Shubin Sergei
Published: September 2011

This paper focuses on the mobility of Scottish Gypsy Travellers as a part of their way of life. It considers both the imaginative and corporeal travel of these people within northeast Scotland. The paper uses Heidegger's conceptual thinking to understand their being on the move. It emphasises the primacy of the process of movement before signification and coding and offers thinking through affectivity, emergence, and potentiality to recognise multiple ways through which travelling people sense place and movement. Through an investigation of the mobile living practices of Scottish Gypsy Travellers and their belonging-together, the paper argues for a relational logic which can attend to the complexity of their involvement with the world.
The Financial Exception and the Reconfiguration of Credit Risk in US Mortgage Markets
Authors: Ashton Philip
Published: September 2011

This paper engages recent arguments regarding the transformation of credit (default) risk within US mortgage markets. With the growing integration of mortgage lending into volatile circuits of finance, emergency interventions during financial crises have become productive moments for credit risk, securing the broader norms of risk taking by selecting out problematic loans—a distinctive orientation to risk that I characterize as the financial exception. I develop this argument by focusing on emergency interventions during two signal moments in the recent history of US mortgage markets—the late 1980s banking crisis and the post-2007 mortgage crisis. In both cases the regulatory practices of isolating system-threatening risk-segmented borrowers into distinct market spaces, deepening and extending particular forms of credit risk inherited from the New Deal financial system.
Public Expenditure Competition in the Transport Sector: Intermodal and Spatial Considerations for Greece
Authors: Tsekeris Theodore
Published: September 2011

The development of transport networks requires public investments, in terms of government expenditure, on several types of (road, rail, port, airport, and urban public transport) infrastructure, including their operational and maintenance services. This paper develops and implements a system-wide spatioeconomic model to analyze the expenditure competition among different types of investment in the Greek transport sector. The suggested approach can offer valuable insight into the economies of scale and synergies associated with a particular transport investment. It is also extended to consider how such investment determinants as population concentration, economic growth, and political considerations at the prefecture level affect expenditure allocation to different types of transport infrastructure. The results indicate the statistical significance of scale effects of transport investment, substitution effects of road investment on other types of transport investment, and political factors on different types of transport investment. Airport investment relates to the most significant synergistic effects on expenditures in other types of public transport facilities. Thus, policy makers must take these fiscal externalities into account for the strategic planning and evaluation of infrastructure supply, and coordinate or subsidize public transport projects with significant positive externalities.
Close to Me? The Influence of Affective Closeness on Space Perception
Authors: Morgado Nicolas , Muller Dominique , Gentaz Edouard , Palluel-Germain Richard
Published: September 2011

Recent data show that psychosocial factors affect visual perception. We tested this hypothesis by investigating the relationship between affective closeness and the perception of apertures between two people. People feel discomfort when they are near someone they are not affectively close to. Therefore, we predict that they will be less likely to perceive that they can pass between two people not affectively close to them. Participants had to imagine passing through the aperture between two life-size classmate pictures. We found that the closer participants felt to their classmates, the more they felt able to pass between them. This provides the first evidence of a relationship between affective closeness and the perception of aperture between two people, suggesting that psychosocial factors constrain space perception.
Simultaneous Perception of Both Interpretations of Ambiguous Figures
Authors: Jensen Melinda S , Mathewson Kyle E
Published: September 2011

When viewing ambiguous figures like the classic duck/rabbit, people alternately perceive one interpretation and then the other, but not both interpretations at once. When two identical ambiguous figures appear together, the majority of observers perceive them as identical, and they typically alternate in unison. Just as most observers cannot see a single figure as both a duck and a rabbit, most cannot see one figure in a pair as a duck and the other as a rabbit even though the two figures and their features are spatially distinct. Is this inability to see both interpretations an inherent limitation of the visual system or is it just due to differences in top–down processing? We show that a simple prompt immediately allows people to see both interpretations, to their own surprise.
Out of Sight, out of Mind: The Rarity of Assessing and Reporting Participants' Visual Abilities When Studying Perception of Linguistic Stimuli
Authors: Jordan Timothy R , McGowan Victoria A , Paterson Kevin B
Published: September 2011

Variations in visual abilities are widespread in the adult population and have profound effects on processing linguistic stimuli (text, words, letters). However, a review of articles (1442) investigating the processing of visually presented linguistic stimuli by non-clinical adult participants, published in 2000 – 2010 in five leading journals ( Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance; Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition; Memory & Cognition; Perception & Psychophysics/Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics; and Perception), showed that the majority of articles (73.5%) made no mention of participants' visual abilities (62.1%) or relied merely on participants' self-report (11.4%). 25.2% reported participants' visual abilities with no assessment, and only 1.2% reported participants' visual abilities following objective assessment; the highest percentage of articles within this laudable minority was in Perception. The indications are that objective visual assessments in studies of visually presented linguistic stimuli are rare and greater use would facilitate better understanding of the visuo-cognitive processes involved.
Effect of Familiarity and Viewpoint on Face Recognition in Chimpanzees
Authors: Parr Lisa A , Siebert Erin , Taubert Jessica
Published: September 2011

Numerous studies have shown that familiarity strongly influences how well humans recognize faces. This is particularly true when faces are encountered across a change in viewpoint. In this situation, recognition may be accomplished by matching partial or incomplete information about a face to a stored representation of the known individual, whereas such representations are not available for unknown faces. Chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, share many of the same behavioral specializations for face processing as humans, but the influence of familiarity and viewpoint have never been compared in the same study. Here, we examined the ability of chimpanzees to match the faces of familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics in their frontal and 3/4 views using a computerized task. Results showed that, while chimpanzees were able to accurately match both familiar and unfamiliar faces in their frontal orientations, performance was significantly impaired only when unfamiliar faces were presented across a change in viewpoint. Therefore, like in humans, face processing in chimpanzees appears to be sensitive to individual familiarity. We propose that familiarization is a robust mechanism for strengthening the representation of faces and has been conserved in primates to achieve efficient individual recognition over a range of natural viewing conditions.
The Influence of Target and Perceiver Race in the Categorisation of Male Sexual Orientation
Authors: Rule Nicholas O
Published: September 2011

Although sexual orientation can be judged from faces, in previous work Caucasian or racially unspecified targets and perceivers have been primarily studied. Here, target and perceiver race were considered in the accurate categorisation of male sexual orientation. Asian, Black, and Caucasian participants categorised the sexual orientations of Asian, Black, and Caucasian men. Accuracy was significantly above chance and consistent across all combinations of perceivers and targets. Response bias scores showed that targets were significantly more likely to be categorised as straight, rather than gay, regardless of target or perceiver race. Moreover, judgments of individual targets were significantly correlated for perceivers from all three groups, suggesting cross-race consistency in target legibility. The perception of sexual orientation from faces therefore appears to be robust against variations in target and perceiver race.
Inflorescence and floral ontogeny in Jasminum fruticans (Oleaceae)
Authors: Dadpour Mohammad Reza , Naghiloo Somayeh , Neycharan Somayeh Faridi
Published: September 2011

The inflorescence and floral ontogeny of the oleaceous tropical bush, Jasminum fruticans L. were studied using epi-illumination light microscopy and compared with other Oleaceae. The flowers are arranged in a thyrsoid inflorescence with a determinate pattern of development. Deviations from the common pathway of floral ontogeny in Oleaceae observed in J. fruticans are characterised by pentamery in calyx and corolla, diagonal position of sepals, some deviation from acropetal and simultaneous initiation of floral organs. Sepals are helically initiated, beginning with the abaxial sepal. Formation of petal lobes from the ring meristem also is not simultaneous with the initiation of three petals before the others. Concurrently with the formation of corolla ring, two stamens are initiated sequentially. Two median carpels are the last organs to be initiated. Unusual features of organ enlargement include the quincuncial-imbricate aestivation of the corolla and formation of trichomes on the distal portion of petals and stamens.
The potential impacts of climate change on Australian subtropical rainforest
Authors: Laidlaw M. J. , McDonald W. J. F. , Hunter R. John , Putland D. A. , Kitching R. L.
Published: September 2011

The potential for anthropogenic climate change to impact upon native vegetation has emphasised the need for monitoring and for dynamic management regimes. Potential impacts are numerous, but will likely include the upslope movement of species’ ranges and increasing in situ turnover (compositional change) within plant assemblages. By assessing the potential impacts of climate change on subtropical rainforest communities in south-east Queensland through the establishment of an altitudinal transect, we aimed to establish the baseline composition of the vegetation and to develop two hypotheses against which climate change scenarios can be tested. The study identified existing high levels of turnover across tree assemblages from low to mid elevations absent at higher elevations and we predict: (1) subtropical rainforest communities which currently sit at the level of the cloud base (800–900 m) will experience increasing floristic turnover, and (2) novel vegetation communities will emerge as species move upslope in response to a changing climate. Monitoring floristic turnover as a surrogate for shifting climatic habitats may be confounded both by a lack of knowledge regarding the underlying turnover rates of rainforest communities and by the disparity in temporal scales of tree community turnover and accelerating anthropogenic climate change. The identification of ‘break points’ in the relationship between current vegetation communities and gradients of precipitation and temperature will allow better direction of monitoring efforts.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) status and seedling growth response to indigenous AM colonisation of Euryodendron excelsum in China: implications for restoring an endemic and critically endangered tree
Authors: Shen Shi-Kang , Wang Yue-Hua
Published: September 2011

It is increasingly evident that the mycorrhizal colonisation of endangered species is of major importance for their restoration. In the present study, the symbiosis of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and endangered species Euryodendron excelsum was investigated in 10 patches of a remnant population in south China. The presence of arbuscules and vesicles indicates that E. excelsum is a typical arbuscular mycorrhizal plant. Five genera were identified in the rhizosphere of E. excelsum, and the most common and frequent genus was Glomus. Root total colonisation intensity is negatively correlated with the available soil phosphorus and potassium content in the soil. In addition, we find no significant relationship between spore density and soil characteristics, or between spore density and total colonisation intensity. Furthermore, a greenhouse experiment under two soil types (humus: native soil = 3 : 1 ST1; humus: native soil = 1 : 3 ST2) was conducted to evaluate the effects of AMF inoculation on seedling growth. The levels of plant mycorrhizal response of E. excelsum seedlings under the ST1 and ST2 soil types were 136 and 413%, respectively. Although a significant growth enhancement was found in the ST1 soil type, seedling growth and survival rate were improved after AMF colonisation under both soil types. The results suggest that AMF colonisation may have practical implications in establishing effective conservation and restoration strategies for this critically endangered plant.
Genetic variation and phylogeography of Psammosilene tunicoides (Caryophyllaceae), a narrowly distributed and endemic species in south-western China
Authors: Zhang Qing-Ying , Zhao Yu-Juan , Gong Xun
Published: September 2011

Psammosilene tunicoides is a narrowly distributed and endemic species in south-western China. An investigation of sequence variation at two chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) regions (rpL16, trnQ-5′rps16) and one nuclear DNA (nDNA) locus (GPA1) were carried out to survey the population structure and population history of the species. Among the 22 populations across its geographical range, nine chloroplast haplotypes and 17 nuclear alleles were identified. Both cpDNA and nDNA consistently revealed high levels of population differentiation (GST = 0.604 and 0.540, respectively), suggesting a distinct phylogeographic structure (NST > GST, P < 0.01). This high genetic differentiation might be a combined effect of breeding system, limited pollen and seed dispersal and geographic isolation of populations. The level of haplotype diversities (cpDNA, hT = 0.575; nDNA, hT = 0.724) were high, but the nucleotide diversities (cpDNA, π = 0.00099; nDNA, π = 0.00105) were low. These results together with the star-like phylogenetic pattern and neutrality tests indicate that P. tunicoides has experienced a population expansion event in its evolution. Limited genetic exchange after population expansion was supported by the pronounced genetic differentiation among populations as well as evidence for ‘isolation-by-distance’ revealed by cpDNA. Due to high population subdivision and complex landscape, as many populations as possible should be considered for genetic conservation.
Silcrete plant fossils from Lightning Ridge, New South Wales: new evidence for climate change and monsoon elements in the Australian Cenozoic
Authors: Carpenter Raymond J. , Goodwin Matthew P. , Hill Robert S. , Kanold Karola
Published: September 2011

Diverse Cenozoic (possibly latest Oligocene to mid–late Miocene) macrofossils from the Lightning Ridge opal fields are illustrated and discussed. Specimens identified to, or closely comparable with, extant taxa include ferns (Lygodium, Gleichenia and others), conifers now extinct in Australia (Dacrydium, Retrophyllum and Papuacedrus), Lauraceae (Cryptocarya/Cinnamomum), sclerophyllous Proteaceae (Banksia, Lomatia and Grevillea), Cunoniaceae/Elaeocarpaceae and Eucalyptus (and/or other Myrtaceae). Overall, at least four fern, three conifer and 30 angiosperm taxa are recognised. The climate supported many species with close relatives in wet Australasian habitats, including rainforests. However, a drier or more seasonal (?monsoonal) aspect is especially indicated by the presence of lobed leaves that resemble extant species of Brachychiton (Malvaceae), Erythrina (Fabaceae) and tribe Cercideae (Fabaceae). A degree of water stress is also suggested by the prevalence of narrow, toothed and/or deeply lobed angiosperm leaves.
Codiversification of orchids (Pterostylidinae) and their associated mycorrhizal fungi
Authors: Otero J. Tupac , Thrall Peter H. , Clements Mark , Burdon Jeremy J. , Miller Joseph T.
Published: September 2011

Fungal symbionts involved in mycorrhizal associations are known to vary considerably in both specificity and the level of benefits conferred on their plant hosts. For orchids, association with a suitable mycorrhizal fungus is vital for successful germination, growth and establishment. Using an evolutionarily distinct group of Australasian terrestrial orchids, the Pterostylidinae (Cranichiadeae: Orchidaceae), we assessed potential codiversification and the level of response between this diverse host group (~250 species) and their associated fungal symbionts. All fungal isolates recovered (~200 from 41 host species covering all major orchid clades) were identified as species of Ceratobasidium, which clustered into strongly supported groups using nuclear (ITS) and mitochondrial (ML 4–5) gene sequences. Three clades within the Pterostylidinae phylogeny showed associations with specific fungal clades. The results suggest the occurrence of local adaptation by the fungal symbionts to the orchid host, particularly in diverse and widespread host taxa. Results of cross-inoculation in vitro germination experiments revealed correlations between certain mycorrhizal fungal clades and particular orchid taxa, with germination generally being most effective when seeds were inoculated with fungal strains from the same clade as found naturally associated with the orchid species. We found only general congruence between the orchid and fungal phylogenies, suggesting that strict codivergerence between these orchids and their mycorrhizal associates has not occurred at the broad level of resolution studied.
Inter- and intra-specific variation in phyllode size and growth form among closely related Mimosaceae Acacia species across a semiarid landscape gradient
Authors: Page Gerald F. M. , Cullen Louise E. , van Leeuwen Stephen , Grierson Pauline F.
Published: September 2011

The mulga complex (Acacia aneura F. Muell ex Benth and closely related species) consists of woody trees and shrubs, and is distributed across 20% of the Australian continent. A. aneura is renowned for a wide variety of phyllode shapes and growth forms, which may co-occur at any one site. We examined the intra- and inter-specific variation in growth form and phyllode shape in four species of the mulga complex, including A. aneura, across topographic gradients in semiarid north-west Australia. We measured 792 trees across 28 sites stratified into six discrete landscape positions; upper slope, lower slope, low open woodland, banded woodland, low woodland, and drainage line. Dominance of phyllode shapes was strongly related to landscape position. A. aneura with terete phyllodes were dominant on the hill slopes, whereas broad phyllodes were most common on A. aneura in all valley woodlands. Trends in growth form were less distinct, although single-stemmed forms were more common on hills, whereas the valleys had more multi-stemmed forms. The quantification of growth form and phyllode shape variability within the mulga complex provides a basis for the quantitative determination of functional links between morphology and environmental conditions at both the site and landscape level.
Densely regenerating coolibah (Eucalyptus coolabah) woodlands are more species-rich than surrounding derived grasslands in floodplains of eastern Australia
Authors: Good Megan K. , Price Jodi N. , Clarke Peter , Reid Nick
Published: September 2011

Woody plant encroachment – the conversion of grasslands to tree- or shrub-dominated ecosystems – occurs in rangelands and savannas worldwide. In eastern Australia, coolibah (Eucalyptus coolabah subsp. coolabah Blakely & Jacobs) regenerated densely following floods in the mid 1970s, converting derived grasslands to dense woodlands. We compared soil and groundstorey vegetation attributes of dense coolibah regeneration to adjacent derived grasslands at three grazed sites in the northern riverine plains of New South Wales. Groundstorey species richness and diversity were significantly higher and groundstorey biomass was significantly lower in dense regeneration plots than in derived grassland plots. Soils from dense regeneration had higher C : N and pH, and lower Na than soils from derived grasslands. Although groundstorey species composition differed significantly between derived grasslands and dense regeneration within sites, variation among sites was more pronounced, indicating that site factors influence community composition more than dense regeneration of coolibah. Our findings suggest that, in contrast to other studies of woody plant encroachment, dense regeneration of coolibah does not result in a decrease in plant biodiversity or soil condition.
Working together as a catalyst for change: the development of a peer mentoring model for the prevention of chronic disease in Australian Indigenous communities
Authors: Paasse Gail , Adams Karen
Published: September 2011

This paper outlines the development of a model for an Indigenous peer mentoring program. The aim of this program is to improve the health of Indigenous people living in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Although the benefits of peer mentoring are well documented, particularly in relation to disease prevention, little has been written about the specific benefits for Indigenous people. While developing this model, it became apparent that to be successful, peer mentoring programs for Indigenous people need to be flexible, informal and draw on the knowledge and skills of the local community in partnership with local services.
Invisible populations: parallels between the health of people with intellectual disability and people of a refugee background
Authors: Brolan Claire E. , Ware Robert S. , Lennox Nicholas G. , Gomez Miriam Taylor , Kay Margaret , Hill Peter S.
Published: September 2011

When considering the delivery of primary health care in the community, some populations remain virtually invisible. While people with intellectual disability might seem to share few characteristics with refugees and humanitarian entrants, there are a number of difficulties that both groups share when accessing and receiving primary health care. Commonalities include communication barriers, difficulties accessing past medical records and the complexity of health needs that confront the practitioner providing health care. These issues and additional systemic barriers that prevent the delivery of optimal health care to both groups are explored. Integrated multidisciplinary care is often required for the delivery of best practice care; however, such care can be difficult for each group to access. In May 2010, the specific Medicare Health Assessment Item numbers for both of these groups were incorporated into a group of more generic Item numbers. This has resulted in a lost opportunity to enhance the evidence surrounding health care delivery to these vulnerable populations. This paper recognises the importance of health policy in leading affirmative action to ensure these populations become visible in the implementation of the National Primary Health Care Strategy.
Satisfaction with referral relationships between general practice and allied health professionals in Australian primary health care
Authors: Chan Bibiana , Proudfoot Judy , Zwar Nick , Davies Gawaine Powell , Harris Mark F.
Published: September 2011

Chronic diseases require a multidisciplinary approach to provide patients with optimal care in general practice. This often involves general practitioners (GPs) referring their patients to allied health professionals (AHPs). The Team-link study explored the impact of an intervention to enhance working relationships between GPs and AHPs in general practice regarding the management of two chronic diseases: diabetes and ischaemic heart disease (IHD) or hypertension. The Measure of Multidisciplinary Linkages (MoML) questionnaire was developed to assess professional interactions and satisfaction with various aspects of the multidisciplinary relationship. Questionnaires were completed at baseline and 6 months by GPs (n = 29) participating in the Team-link project and by AHPs (n = 39) who had a current working relationship with these GPs. The Chronic Care Team Profile (CCTP) and Clinical Linkages Questionnaire (CLQ) were also completed by GPs. There were significant changes from baseline to 6 months after the intervention measures for individual items and overall MoML scores for GPs, especially items assessing ‘contact’, ‘shared care’ and ‘satisfaction with communication’. The comparable item in the CLQ, ‘Shared Care’, also showed significant improvement. However, there were no statistically significant correlations between the change in overall ‘Referral Satisfaction’ scores in the GP MoML and the CLQ. The CCTP also improved and was a weak negative correlation between the GP MoML and two of the subscores of this instrument. There were no changes in AHP measure. This study demonstrates that the instrument is sensitive to differences between providers and conditions and is sensitive to change over time following an intervention. There were few associations with the other measures suggesting that the MoML might assess other aspects of teamwork involving practitioners who are not collocated or in the same organisation.
Mental health and barriers to the achievement of the 'right to health'
Authors: Henderson Julie , Battams Samantha
Published: September 2011

This paper explores issues relating to access to physical and mental health care for people with mental health problems in light of Australia’s endorsement in 2008 of the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which established the right to health and to health care. Interviews were conducted with 10 key stakeholders with legal, policy, clinical and advocacy roles within South Australia and at a national and international level. Participants identified several barriers to the achievement of the right to health for people with mental illness, with discussion highlighting the legal definition of rights, governance of health and mental health, and structural barriers to receipt of care as the primary barriers. The data are explored in relation to social models of disability.
Feasibility, acceptability and impact of a telephone support service initiated in primary medical care to help Arabic smokers quit
Authors: Girgis Seham , Adily Armita , Velasco Maria-Jose , Zwar Nicholas A. , Jalaludin Bin B. , Ward Jeanette E.
Published: September 2011

Evidence-based tobacco control in ethnic minorities is compromised by the near absence of rigorous testing of interventions in either prevention or cessation. This randomised controlled trial was designed to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and impact of a culturally specific cessation intervention delivered in the context of primary medical care in the most culturally diverse region of New South Wales. Adult Arabic smokers were recruited from practices of 29 general practitioners (GPs) in south-west Sydney and randomly allocated to usual care (n = 194) or referred to six sessions of smoking cessation telephone support delivered by bilingual psychologists (n = 213). Although 62.2% of participants indicated that telephone support would benefit Arabic smokers, there were no significant differences at 6 or 12 months between intervention and control groups in point prevalence abstinence rates (11.7% vs 12.9%, P = 0.83; 8.4% vs 11.3%, P = 0.68, respectively) or the mean shift in stage-of-change towards intention to quit. As participants and GPs found telephone support acceptable, we also discuss redesign and the unfulfilled obligation to expand the evidence base in tobacco control from which the ethnic majority already benefits.
General practitioner attitudes to prescribing hepatitis C antiviral therapy in a community setting
Authors: Lambert Stephen M. , Page Andrew N. , Wittmann Johannes , Hayllar Jeremy S. , Ferndale Clint W. , Bain Tanya M. , Macdonald Graeme A.
Published: September 2011

There is a growing debate about the prescription of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antiviral therapies within a community setting in Australia. This study aimed to identify interest and confidence among general practitioners (GPs) in prescribing HCV antiviral therapy in a community setting. Data from 580 GPs who responded to a cross-sectional population-based survey were analysed to measure: self-reported interest and confidence in initiating HCV antiviral therapy; and/or prescribing maintenance antiviral therapy; and self-perceived education needs about HCV antiviral therapy. Forty-two percent of respondents indicated they would be interested in prescribing HCV antiviral therapy. Most were not confident to initiate therapy (80%). Higher proportions indicated that they would be more confident in prescribing maintenance therapy (35%) rather than initiating (7%) therapy (z = 10.5, P < 0.001). Confidence in prescribing was related to a higher caseload of patients with HCV (P = 0.001) and being a HIV community-based prescriber (P = 0.002). Fifty-three percent of respondents expressed an interest in education about HCV antiviral therapy. The initial step to recruit potential primary care prescribers of HCV antiviral therapies should be to develop an integrated education program. Recruitment to this program might be most efficient from GPs with a high caseload of patients with HCV.
The work, education and career pathways of nurses in Australian general practice
Authors: Parker Rhian , Keleher Helen , Forrest Laura
Published: September 2011

There is little understanding about the educational levels and career pathways of the primary care nursing workforce in Australia. This article reports on survey research conducted to examine the qualifications and educational preparation of primary care nurses in general practice, their current enrolments in education programs, and their perspectives about post-registration education. Fifty-eight practice nurses from across Australia completed the survey. Over 94% reported that they had access to educational opportunities but identified a range of barriers to undertaking further education. Although 41% of nurses said they were practising at a speciality advanced level, this correlated with the number of years they had worked in general practice rather than to any other factor, including level of education. Respondents felt a strong sense of being regarded as less important than nurses working in the acute care sector. Almost 85% of respondents reported that they did not have a career pathway in their organisation. They also felt that while the public had confidence in them, there was some way to go regarding role recognition.
Why do we not use trained interpreters for all patients with limited English proficiency? Is there a place for using family members?
Authors: Gray Ben , Hilder Jo , Donaldson Hannah
Published: September 2011

Australia and New Zealand both have large populations of people with limited English proficiency (LEP). Australia’s free telephone interpreter service, which is also used by New Zealand through Language Line (LL) but at a cost to the practices, is underused in both countries. Interpreter guidelines warn against the use of family members, yet the lack of uptake of interpreter services must mean that they are still often used. This paper reviews the literature on medical interpreter use and reports the results of a week-long audit of interpreted consultations in an urban New Zealand primary health centre with a high proportion of refugee and migrant patients. The centre’s (annualised) tally of professionally interpreted consultations was three times more than that of LL consultations by all other NZ practices put together. Despite this relatively high usage, 49% of all interpreted consultations used untrained interpreters (mostly family), with more used in ‘on-the-day’ (OTD) clinics. Clinicians rated such interpreters as working well 88% of the time in the OTD consultations, and 36% of the time in booked consultations. An in-house interpreter (28% of consultations) was rated as working well 100% of the time. Telephone interpreters (21% of consultations) received mixed ratings. The use of trained interpreters is woefully inadequate and needs to be vigorously promoted. In primary care settings where on-going relationships, continuity and trust are important – the ideal option (often not possible) is an in-house trained interpreter. The complexity of interpreted consultations needs to be appreciated in making good judgements when choosing the best option to optimise communication and in assessing when there may be a place for family interpreting. This paper examines the elements of making such a judgement.
Primary health care service delivery networks for the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes: using social network methods to describe interorganisational collaboration in a rural setting
Authors: McDonald Julie , Jayasuriya Rohan , Harris Mark Fort
Published: September 2011

Adults with type 2 diabetes or with behavioural risk factors require comprehensive and well coordinated responses from a range of health care providers who often work in different organisational settings. This study examines three types of collaborative links between organisations involved in a rural setting. Social network methods were employed using survey data on three types of links, and data was collected from a purposive sample of 17 organisations representing the major provider types. The analysis included a mix of unconfirmed and confirmed links, and network measures. General practices were the most influential provider group in initiating referrals, and they referred to the broadest range of organisations in the network. Team care arrangements formed a small part of the general practice referral network. They were used more for access to private sector allied health care providers and less for sharing care with public sector health services. Involvement in joint programs/activities was limited to public and non-government sector services, with no participation from the private sector. The patterns of interactions suggest that informal referral networks provide access to services and coordination of care for individual patients with diabetes. Two population subgroups would benefit from more proactive approaches to ensure equitable access to services and coordination of care across organisational boundaries: people with more complex health care needs and people at risk of developing diabetes.
A snapshot of general practitioner attitudes, levels of confidence and self-reported paediatric asthma management practice
Authors: Roydhouse Jessica A. , Shah Smita , Toelle Brett G. , Sawyer Susan M. , Mellis Craig M. , Usherwood Tim P. , Edwards Peter , Jenkins Christine R.
Published: September 2011

The prevalence of asthma in Australia is high. Previous findings have suggested that asthma management, particularly in primary care, remains suboptimal and recent government initiatives to improve asthma management and encourage the use of written asthma action plans (WAAPs) in general practice have been implemented. We aimed to assess the attitudes, confidence and self-reported paediatric asthma management practices of a convenience sample of Australian general practitioners (GPs). A baseline questionnaire was administered to GPs as part of a randomised controlled trial. General practitioners (GPs) were recruited from two areas of greater metropolitan Sydney, NSW between 2006 and 2008. Invitations were sent to an estimated 1200 potentially eligible GPs. Of 150 (12.5%) GPs that enrolled, 122 (10.2%) completed the baseline questionnaire. Though 89% were aware of the Australian National Asthma Guidelines, less than 40% were familiar with guideline recommendations. While 85.2% had positive attitudes towards WAAPs, only 45.1% reported providing them frequently. For children with frequent symptoms, 90% agreed they should prescribe daily, inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), and 83% reported currently prescribing ICS to such patients. These findings indicate gaps between GP attitudes and behaviours and highlights opportunities for interventions to improve paediatric asthma management.