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Training the high-order competency of complex thinking encompasses addressing its sub-competencies of critical, innovative, scientific and systemic thinking. In this framework, how do the practices of reasoning for complexity in Latin American institutions differ from other regions? This study focused on comparing training practices that promote complex thinking in national and international educational entities through analysis of their programs and alternative professional credentials to identify best educational practices. The comparative education method benchmarked the selected institutions and compared the best educational practices. The four categories of analysis were the philosophical, theoretical, and political components and the educational process. A significant-document analysis was applied to publications found on the websites of 19 educational institutions, and the data were triangulated. The findings accounted for (a) educational institutions seeking to educate individuals who can improve the quality of life in society and contribute to sustainable development, (b) educational practices aimed at developing complex thinking competencies and lifelong learning as essential for new educational models, (c) the collaboration of researchers, faculty, and other stakeholders, and appropriate tools for formative assessment, promoting the development of complex reasoning competencies in changing environments, and (d) educational processes focused on developing high skills, innovation, and digital transformation as essential for designing the future of education. This study is intended to be of value to managers, decision-makers, professors, researchers, and society interested in creating new programs to develop high-level capabilities, such as complex thinking.

The objective of this article is to analyse the development and content of research in the global literature on student agency in higher education (SAHE) based on a bibliometric review of 224 articles published in the Scopus database during the period 2000-2022. VOSviewer, Excel, and Tableau software were used to analyse the texts. The review documented the growth trajectory and geographic distribution of the literature and identified the intellectual structure of SAHE. The findings show that the SAHE knowledge base has grown dramatically since 2017, particularly in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Five schools of thought emerged from the literature as the main pillars of agency, or individuals' capacities to take actions to improve their lives (1): the socio-cultural approach of agency (2); the social cognitive framework of agency (3); feedback, assessment, and agency (4); students' motivation and engagement; and (5) learning analytics, online education, and agency. The results show that student agency is framed within a constructivist and sociocultural learning perspective. Findings also demonstrate that agency has significant effects on personalising and increasing the dynamism and potential of academic experiences if students take an active role in managing their own learning.

This study explores the potential contribution of Eggins and Slade's (2004) Speech Functions as tools for describing learners' participation patterns in Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication (SCMC). Our analysis focuses on the relationship between learners' self-efficacy (i.e. personal judgments of second language performance capabilities) and discourse roles displayed in the online medium. A small corpus of data was selected as a sample from a larger study, comprising one face-to-face interaction (FtF2) and one synchronous text-based chat interaction (SCMC2) between two participants: Celine, a high-self-efficacy (HSE) learner, and Concetta, a low-self-efficacy (LSE) learner. The chat-log and conversation transcript were analyzed by employing: (a) quantitative measures of participation; namely words and turns produced by the participants, (b) Dörnyei and Kormos's (1998) taxonomy of Communication Strategies, and (c) Eggins and Slade's (2004) classification of speech functions. Our results suggest that speech functions are indeed effective at describing the social roles enacted by learners during interaction across the two media, in terms of discourse dependence or independence, as well as dominance. Therefore, by complementing other methods, such as quantitative measures of participation and qualitative analyses of communication strategies, speech functions can contribute to providing a comprehensive picture of the relationship between SCMC, learners' self-efficacy, and participation patterns.

In this article, we conduct a systematic review of the extant literature on the risk and protective factors that impact the healthy resettlement of refugee children around the world. We identify acculturative stress as a main risk factor to consider for assessment and intervention given that is often overlooked in the literature for refugee children, but has been found to strongly impact their socio-emotional development. In addition, we discuss ecologically framed/culturally responsive interventions and assessment practices that could aid in the successful resettlement of refugee children. We also discuss the limitations of the extant research on refugee children and make recommendations for future research directions.

People living in residential aged care homes in Australia often have limited opportunities for meaningful social engagement. The present study aimed to characterize the state of intergenerational programs in residential aged care within a nationwide Australian sample. A total of 572 valid survey responses were received. A large number of aged care homes had existing programs, but only 18.2% had active programs; 44.4% reported their programs as temporarily suspended, predominantly due to COVID-19. The most common activities included singing (67.8%), games (56.8%), reading (51.1%) and craft (41.5%). Mental health and wellbeing, opportunity to socialize, and connection with the community were considered as the main benefits. There is consensus on the benefits of well-placed programming and engagement. Several barriers and challenges to engagement exist, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Aged care homes need adequate information and support to increase their ability to offer intergenerational programs between residents and community members. The survey provides insight into intergenerational programs in Australian aged care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic Staff completing the survey reported positive views of the benefits of the programs to both old and young participants The findings highlight the diversity of participants' ages, places, mode of delivery and types of activities – frequently singing, games, reading and craft, but also dancing and reminiscence, and even robotics. While COVID-19 posed significant challenges, there were creative solutions including written letters and shared journals, virtual interaction and simple strategies such as access to areas where residents could observe children at play or in passing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sphaerellopsis species are putative hyperparasites of rust fungi and may be promising biological control agents (BCA) of rust diseases. However, few detailed studies limit potential BCA development in Sphaerellopsis. Here, we explored the biogeography, host-specificity, and species diversity of Sphaerellopsis and examined the early infection stage of one species, S. macroconidialis, to infer its trophic status. We randomly screened 5,621 rust specimens spanning 99 genera at the Arthur Fungarium for the presence of Sphaerellopsis. We identified 199 rust specimens infected with Sphaerellopsis species on which we conducted morphological and multi-locus phylogenetic analyses. Five Sphaerellopsis species were recovered, infecting a total of 122 rust species in 18 genera from 34 countries. Sphaerellopsis melampsorinearum sp. nov. is described as a new species based on molecular phylogenetic data and morphological features of the sexual and asexual morphs. Sphaerellopsis paraphysata was the most commonly encountered species, found on 77 rust specimens, followed by Sphaerellopsis macroconidialis on 56 and S. melampsorinearum on 55 examined specimens. The type species, Sphaerellopsis filum, was found on 12 rust specimens and Sphaerellopsis hakeae on a single specimen. We also recovered and documented for the first time, the sexual morph of S. macroconidialis, from a specimen collected in Brazil. Our data indicate that Sphaerellopsis species are not host specific and furthermore that most species are cosmopolitan in distribution. However, S. paraphysata is more abundant in the tropics, and S. hakeae may be restricted to Australia. Finally, we confirm the mycoparasitic strategy of S. macroconidialis through in-vitro interaction tests with the urediniospores of Puccinia polysora. Shortly after germination, hyphae of S. macroconidialis began growing along the germ tubes of P. polysora and coiling around them. After 12 days of co-cultivation, turgor loss was evident in the germ tubes of P. polysora, and appressorium-like structures had formed on urediniospores. The interaction studies indicate that Sphaerellopsis species may be more effective as a BCA during the initial stages of rust establishment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide an overview of the current state of knowledge of island frugivory and seed dispersal and identify knowledge gaps that are important for fundamental research on—and applied conservation of—island ecosystems. We conducted a systematic literature search of frugivory and seed dispersal on islands, omitting large, continental islands. This revealed a total of 448 studies, most (75%) published during the last two decades, especially after 2010. Nearly 65% of them were focused on eight archipelagos. There is a paucity of studies in Pacific archipelagos near Asia and Australia, and in the Indian Ocean. Data on island frugivory and seed dispersal are diverse but highly uneven in geographic and conceptual coverage. Despite their limited biodiversity, islands are essential reservoirs of endemic plants and animals and their interactions. Due to the simplicity of insular ecosystems, we can assess the importance of seed dispersal theory and mechanisms at species and community levels. These include the ecological and biogeographical meaning and prevalence of non-standard mechanisms of seed dispersal on islands; the seed dispersal effectiveness and the relative roles of different frugivore guilds (birds and reptiles being the most important); and patterns of community organization and their drivers as revealed by interaction networks. Island systems are characterized by the extinction of many natives and endemics, and high rates of species introductions. Therefore, understanding how these losses and additions alter seed dispersal processes has been a prevailing goal of island studies and an essential foundation for the effective restoration and conservation of islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

General circulation models (GCMs) and their downscaled regional‐scale equivalents have been important tools for climate‐change studies. However, there has been limited assessment of the performance of GCMs and downscaled models in simulating extreme storms in temperate coastal environments. This study assesses the model characterization of extreme storms on the heavily populated coast of south‐east Australia. Twenty‐year average recurrence interval (ARI) storm intensities derived from generalized extreme value (GEV) distributions based on observed and large‐scale atmospheric model data are compared. Changes in extreme storms from past climate to a high‐emission future scenario are also investigated. Simulations of storm minimum surface pressures compared favourably with measured data. Both the GCMs and downscaled models reproduced the observed decrease with increasing latitude along the coast in the 20 year ARI of minimum surface pressure. Both indicated that the minimum storm surface pressure should change negligibly in a high‐emission future. Although the models underestimated the maximum daily precipitation significantly, models are improving significantly with CMIP epoch and downscaling. In the high‐emission future scenario, the GCMs and NARCliM projected the 20 year ARI maximum daily precipitation would increase in the order of 25%. GCMs and the corresponding downscaled products presently do not represent the extreme value distributions of historical wind speed data well, overestimating at smaller values of ARI and significantly underestimating in larger values of ARI. Significant changes in the magnitude of the 20 year ARI maximum daily‐average onshore wind speed are not projected for the high‐emission future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latin American migration to Australia spans over five decades. Despite growing Latin American diasporas in Australia, little is known in public imaginaries about the difficult histories, desires and struggles that have shaped those who fled their countries due to conflict and dictatorships. This article draws from fifteen in-depth interviews with Spanish-speaking migrants from post-conflict and dictatorial Latin America living in Australia. Engaging with decolonial knowledge and scholarship in Latin American memory studies, the article argues for desire-centred memory work in which trauma, damage and deficit narratives are decentred. Through theorising with ambiguity and participants' voices, I reveal the potential of taking seriously everyday memories of joy, care, and desire to unsettle and nuance normative understandings of difficult histories, including Latin American migration to Australia. In doing so, I also emphasise the importance of engaging with people as epistemic subjects who are doing the difficult memory work by choosing how, when, and where to narrate and share their stories. Ultimately, this article contributes to decolonial, feminist and Southern epistemologies and understandings of memory in the wake of violence that are desire-based (Tuck, E., 2009. Suspending Damage: A Letter to Communities. Harvard Educational Review, 79 (3), 409–427) and transformative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speed and accuracy of lexical access change with healthy ageing and neurodegeneration. While a word's immediate phonological neighbourhood density (i.e. words differing by a single phoneme) influences access, connectivity to all words in the phonological network (i.e. closeness centrality) may influence processing. This study aimed to investigate the effect of closeness centrality on speed and accuracy of lexical processing pre- and post- a single word-training session in healthy younger and older adults, and adults with logopenic primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA), which affects phonological processing. Participants included 29 young and 17 older healthy controls, and 10 adults with lvPPA. Participants received one session of word-training on words with high or low closeness centrality, using a picture-word verification task. Changes in lexical decision reaction times (RT) and accuracy were measured. Baseline RT was unaffected by age and accuracy was at ceiling for controls. Post-training, only young adults' RT were significantly faster. Adults with lvPPA were slower and less accurate than controls at baseline, with no training effect. Closeness centrality did not influence performance. Absence of training effect for older adults suggests higher threshold to induce priming, possibly associated with insufficient dosage or fatigue. Implications for word-finding interventions with older adults are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humans have an evolved embodied cognition that equips them to deal easily with the natural movements of object manipulations. Hence, learning a manipulative task is generally more effective when watching animations that show natural motions of the task, rather than equivalent static pictures. The present study was completed to explore this research domain further by investigating the impact of gender on static and animation presentations. In two experiments, university students were randomly assigned to either a static or animation condition and watched a computer-controlled presentation of a Lego shape being built. After each of two presentations, students were required to reconstruct the task followed by a transfer task. In Experiment 1 the tasks were performed using real Lego bricks (physical environment), and in Experiment 2 by computerized images of the bricks (virtual environment). Results indicated no differences between the two testing environments or an overall advantage for the animated format. However, a number of interactions between gender and presentation format were found. Follow-up analyses indicated that females benefited more than males from using animated presentations.

In this article we analyze images of sportswomen from four media outlets over the course of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia. Through visual discourse analysis we find that despite structural changes to increase gender equality at the Commonwealth Games—which for the first time ensured equal opportunities for men and women to win medals—sportswomen were still depicted in a very narrow way, and intersectional representations were mainly excluded. Though the quantity of images of women had increased, the 'quality' of these images was poor in terms of representing sportswomen in their diversity. We still have far to go if we are to embrace women in their multiplicity—and to recognize that women can be strong, capable, butch, femme, and varied in their range of expressions of gender, sexuality, race, and ethnicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student pre-departure preparation has been identified as essential if study abroad programs involving workintegrated learning are to deliver the numerous benefits they intend, while mitigating the many risks they involve. However, little is known about what preparation is provided to the academic and professional staff who implement these programs, and the community members who host the students. Interviews with 16 academic and professional staff involved in preparing students, staff, and host communities for Australian study abroad programs reveal inconsistencies in the preparation provided to students, and very limited preparation to staff and host communities. The limited preparation that is offered, is designed and developed in an organic (not structured) and inconsistent manner. Our findings suggest that institutions should consider implementing a more structured, consistent and institutionally driven approach to preparation for students, staff, and host communities to reduce the substantial risks associated with these programs while maximizing the benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Conservation Biology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Crop breeding must achieve higher rates of genetic gain in grain yield (GY) and yield stability to meet future food demands in a changing climate. Optimal contributions selection (OCS) based on an index of key economic traits should increase the rate of genetic gain while minimising population inbreeding. Here we apply OCS in a global spring oilseed rape (canola) breeding program during three cycles of S0,1 family selection in 2016, 2018, and 2020, with several field trials per cycle in Australia and Canada. Economic weights in the index promoted high GY, seed oil, protein in meal, and Phoma stem canker (blackleg) disease resistance while maintaining plant height, flowering time, oleic acid, and seed size and decreasing glucosinolate content. After factor analytic modelling of the genotype-by-environment interaction for the additive effects, the linear rate of genetic gain in GY across cycles was 0.059 or 0.087 t ha−1 y−1 (2.9% or 4.3% y−1) based on genotype scores for the first factor (f1) expressed in trait units or average predicted breeding values across environments, respectively. Both GY and yield stability, defined as the root-mean-square deviation from the regression line associated with f1, were predicted to improve in the next cycle with a low achieved mean parental coancestry (0.087). These methods achieved rapid genetic gain in GY and other traits and are predicted to improve yield stability across global spring canola environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Fires can severely impact aquatic fauna, especially when attributes of soil, topography, fire severity and post‐fire rainfall interact to cause substantial sedimentation. Such events can cause immediate mortality and longer‐term changes in food resources and habitat structure. Approaches for estimating fire impacts on terrestrial species (e.g. intersecting fire extent with species distributions) are inappropriate for aquatic species as sedimentation can carry well downstream of the fire extent, and occur long after fire. Here, we develop an approach for estimating the spatial extent of fire impacts for aquatic systems, across multiple catchments. Location: Southern Australian bioregions affected by the fires in 2019–2020 that burned >10 million ha of temperate and subtropical forests. Methods: We integrated an existing soil erosion model with fire severity mapping and rainfall data to estimate the spatial extent of post‐fire sedimentation threat in waterways and in basins and the potential exposure of aquatic species to this threat. We validated the model against field observations of sedimentation events after the 2019–20 fires. Results: While fires overlapped with ~27,643 km of waterways, post‐fire sedimentation events potentially occurred across ~40,449 km. In total, 55% (n = 85) of 154 basins in the study region may have experienced substantial post‐fire sedimentation. Ten species—including six Critically Endangered—were threatened by post‐fire sedimentation events across 100% of their range. The model increased the estimates for potential impact, compared to considering fire extent alone, for >80% of aquatic species. Some species had distributions that did not overlap with the fire extent, but that were entirely exposed to post‐fire sedimentation threat. Conclusions: Compared with estimating the overlap of fire extent with species' ranges, our model improves estimates of fire‐related threats to aquatic fauna by capturing the complexities of fire impacts on hydrological systems. The model provides a method for quickly estimating post‐fire sedimentation threat after future fires in any fire‐prone region, thus potentially improving conservation assessments and informing emergency management interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In nations where colonialism persists such as Australia, scholars have identified the hegemony of a morally infused white farming imaginary. While this construction has traditionally been invested in heteropatriarchal ideologies our aim in this paper is to demonstrate how, in recent years, white middle-class farming women have been woven into this narrative through settler colonial logics. We take up this contention in the Australian context examining 100 posts to two major institutional Instagram accounts that feature farming women: @invisfarmer and @agrifuturesau. Using the lens of settler colonialism, and a visual and textual analysis, we identify how the "white middle-class woman farmer" is framed by discourses of white feminism and invisibility/visibility. We reveal the emergence of a narrow farming woman aesthetic which is bolstered by narratives which celebrate the "successful female farmer" and the "successful female farm leader". In concluding the paper, we discuss the implications of the gendering of the white farming imaginary, and make a call for gender and rural studies scholars to de-centre and disaggregate the "white middle-class settler farming woman" subject position, through attending to settler colonialism and Indigenous scholarship in understandings of Australian rurality. • Australian rural studies uphold the "white middle-class settler farming woman". • The gendering of the white farming imaginary occurs through settler colonialism. • The "white middle-class woman farmer" is framed by discourses of white feminism. • Narratives of the "successful female farmer" and "leader" are celebrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is minimal research about the military-to-civilian transition (MCT) from the perspective of the family. The goal of this scoping review was to identify what is known about military families across the Five Eyes Nations (FVEY) (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States) during this phase as well as identify gaps in the evidence base. Scoping review methods were employed with a narrative review process to conceptualize and organize results. The initial search returned 2,219 sources. From these, 27 sources about military family experiences during MCT were identified. Overall, there was limited research on this topic with the majority of sources being from gray literature. A contributing factor to this lack of literature could be the conflation of the MCT with other military transitions (i.e. deployments). Sources highlighted four major themes that influenced identified needs and current services for military families during MCT: (1) mental health; (2) barriers to care; (3) financial needs; and (4) targeted transition support. The limited literature documents promising family skills-based interventions during MCT. However, there is a need for more empirical research on existing family-based interventions and experiences and needs of the family as a unit during MCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Introduced predators negatively impact biodiversity globally, with insular fauna often most severely affected. Here, we assess spatial variation in the number of terrestrial vertebrates (excluding amphibians) killed by two mammalian mesopredators introduced to Australia, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus). We aim to identify prey groups that suffer especially high rates of predation, and regions where losses to foxes and/or cats are most substantial. Location: Australia. Methods: We draw information on the spatial variation in tallies of reptiles, birds and mammals killed by cats in Australia from published studies. We derive tallies for fox predation by (i) modelling continental‐scale spatial variation in fox density, (ii) modelling spatial variation in the frequency of occurrence of prey groups in fox diet, (iii) analysing the number of prey individuals within dietary samples and (iv) discounting animals taken as carrion. We derive point estimates of the numbers of individuals killed annually by foxes and by cats and map spatial variation in these tallies. Results: Foxes kill more reptiles, birds and mammals (peaking at 1071 km−2 year−1) than cats (55 km−2 year−1) across most of the unmodified temperate and forested areas of mainland Australia, reflecting the generally higher density of foxes than cats in these environments. However, across most of the continent – mainly the arid central and tropical northern regions (and on most Australian islands) – cats kill more animals than foxes. We estimate that foxes and cats together kill 697 million reptiles annually in Australia, 510 million birds and 1435 million mammals. Main conclusions: This continental‐scale analysis demonstrates that predation by two introduced species takes a substantial and ongoing toll on Australian reptiles, birds and mammals. Continuing population declines and potential extinctions of some of these species threatens to further compound Australia's poor contemporary conservation record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individualized, maternalist and marketized discourses of childcare are pervasive in Australia as they are in other liberal welfare states. Responsibility is overwhelmingly placed on mothers to carry out most childcare work themselves or to arrange informal or paid childcare. One of the key tasks for most employed mothers is transporting children alongside their commuting journeys. In this context we used mapping/graphic elicitation interviews with 45 Australian employed mothers to explore their commuting experiences through the lens of emotional geographies. Our findings reveal that mothers' experiences of their commutes were shaped by negotiations with intensive mothering and 'ideal worker' ideologies during this journey resulting in emotions of guilt, shame and stress. The spatial and temporal organization of childcare, and incompatibilities between their commuting transport needs and the organization of public transport and parking, tended to amplify these tensions. Through an emotional geographies lens we complicate linear understandings of commuting and mainstream transport and planning work, while calling for more attention to the affective and relational dimensions of mothers' everyday geographies of care and paid work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article adds to a growing body of literature that engages with failure as a way of knowing and understanding the social. Through a focus on images of sportswomen's loss or failure in three Australian newspapers during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games we analyzed affective-discourses and patterns in images and accompanying headlines, captions and stories to explore the place of loss in the narrative of mainstream sport reporting. Through this focus on loss we hoped to find points of disruption that might generate new conceptions of women in sport. What we found was that stories of loss in mainstream newspaper coverage reproduced transphobic, racist, nationalistic, ageist and sexist discourses. We conclude by calling for research that explores how athletes self-present their losses in digital platforms subjectively rather than being reported 'on'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cumulative impacts assessments on marine ecosystems have been hindered by the difficulty of collecting environmental data and identifying drivers of community dynamics beyond local scales. On coral reefs, an additional challenge is to disentangle the relative influence of multiple drivers that operate at different stages of coral ontogeny. We integrated coral life history, population dynamics, and spatially explicit environmental drivers to assess the relative and cumulative impacts of multiple stressors across 2,300 km of the world's largest coral reef ecosystem, Australia's Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Using literature data, we characterized relationships between coral life history processes (reproduction, larval dispersal, recruitment, growth, and mortality) and environmental variables. We then simulated coral demographics and stressor impacts at the organism (coral colony) level on >3,800 individual reefs linked by larval connectivity and exposed to temporally and spatially realistic regimes of acute (crown‐of‐thorns starfish outbreaks, cyclones, and mass coral bleaching) and chronic (water‐quality) stressors. Model simulations produced a credible reconstruction of recent (2008–2020) coral trajectories consistent with monitoring observations, while estimating the impacts of each stressor at reef and regional scales. Overall, simulated coral populations declined by one‐third across the GBR, from an average of ~29% to ~19% hard coral cover. By 2020, <20% of the GBR had coral cover higher than 30%, a status of reef health corroborated by scarce and sparsely distributed monitoring data. Reef‐wide annual rates of coral mortality were driven by bleaching (48%) ahead of cyclones (41%) and starfish predation (11%). Beyond the reconstructed status and trends, the model enabled the emergence of complex interactions that compound the effects of multiple stressors while promoting a mechanistic understanding of coral cover dynamics. Drivers of coral cover growth were identified; notably, water quality (suspended sediments) was estimated to delay recovery for at least 25% of inshore reefs. Standardized rates of coral loss and recovery allowed the integration of all cumulative impacts to determine the equilibrium cover for each reef. This metric, combined with maps of impacts, recovery potential, water‐quality thresholds, and reef state metrics, facilitates strategic spatial planning and resilience‐based management across the GBR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crown-of-thorns sea stars (Acanthaster sp.) are among the most studied coral reef organisms, owing to their propensity to undergo major population irruptions, which contribute to significant coral loss and reef degradation throughout the Indo-Pacific. However, there are still important knowledge gaps pertaining to the biology, ecology, and management of Acanthaster sp. Renewed efforts to advance understanding and management of Pacific crown-of-thorns sea stars (Acanthaster sp.) on Australia's Great Barrier Reef require explicit consideration of relevant and tractable knowledge gaps. Drawing on established horizon scanning methodologies, this study identified contemporary knowledge gaps by asking active and/or established crown-of-thorns sea star researchers to pose critical research questions that they believe should be addressed to improve the understanding and management of crown-of-thorns sea stars on the Great Barrier Reef. A total of 38 participants proposed 246 independent research questions, organized into 7 themes: feeding ecology, demography, distribution and abundance, predation, settlement, management, and environmental change. Questions were further assigned to 48 specific topics nested within the 7 themes. During this process, redundant questions were removed, which reduced the total number of distinct research questions to 172. Research questions posed were mostly related to themes of demography (46 questions) and management (48 questions). The dominant topics, meanwhile, were the incidence of population irruptions (16 questions), feeding ecology of larval sea stars (15 questions), effects of elevated water temperature on crown-of-thorns sea stars (13 questions), and predation on juveniles (12 questions). While the breadth of questions suggests that there is considerable research needed to improve understanding and management of crown-of-thorns sea stars on the Great Barrier Reef, the predominance of certain themes and topics suggests a major focus for new research while also providing a roadmap to guide future research efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Ciência & Saúde Coletiva is the property of Associacao Brasileira de Pos-Graduacao em Saude Coletiva and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Protected areas are important for preventing biodiversity declines, yet indicators of species' trends in protected areas rarely include threatened species. We use data from the first national Threatened Species Index developed in Australia to report on trends for threatened and near‐threatened birds inside and outside terrestrial and marine protected areas. We adopted the Living Planet Index to calculate trends for 39 bird taxa at 16,742 monitoring sites (11,539 inside and 5,203 outside PAs) between 1985 and 2016. At a continental scale, the overall decline in the national index was smaller inside protected areas (66% decrease in average population abundance) than outside (77%), although after 2000 declines were greater within (36%) versus outside (26%) protected areas. Five out of seven jurisdictions showed similar switching in patterns over time. Protected areas initially had a greater net positive effect on trends of more imperiled birds than less imperiled birds, but between 2000 and 2016 declines of the most imperiled birds were greater inside protected areas than outside. Our analyses suggest that the effectiveness of Australia's protected area network at improving trends in threatened species has weakened, and support the hypothesis that trends for terrestrial birds outside PAs might be improving due to increased conservation efforts on private land. Although this study represents the most comprehensive collation of threatened species population time series and trends ever for Australia, the number of monitoring sites inside PAs was double that outside PAs, even though on average, more than 70% of threatened bird distributions occur outside PAs, with important gaps in monitoring across space, time and taxa that need to be filled to fully understand the effectiveness of public and private conservation actions at a national level. The results underline the importance of active management plus monitoring to track and report on long‐term trends across species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Producao Online is the property of Associacao Brasileira de Engenharia de Producao and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Aim: Identify climate change impacts on spawning and settlement of a tropical herbivore (Tripneustes), optimal habitat of a temperate kelp (Ecklonia) and implications for these species regions of interaction under future climate. Location: Along eastern Australia and into the Tasman Sea including Lord Howe Island (LHI). Time period: A contemporary scenario (2006–2015) and future "business as usual" RCP 8.5 climate change scenario (2090–2100). Major taxa studied: The tropical sea urchin, Tripneustes gratilla, and the temperate kelp, Ecklonia radiata. Methods: We combined mechanistic models to create a predictive map of Ecklonia and Tripneustes distributions, and their future potential to co‐occur. We use 3D velocity and temperature fields produced with a state‐of‐the‐art configuration of the Ocean Forecasting Model version 3 that simulates the contemporary oceanic environment and projects it under an RCP 8.5 climate change scenario. We map the contemporary and future Ecklonia's realized and fundamental thermal niche; and simulate Tripneustes larval dispersal under both climate scenarios. Results: Based on the thermal affinity of kelp and increases in projected temperatures, we predict a poleward range contraction of ~530 km by 2100 for kelp on Australia's east coast. Climate‐driven changes in dispersal of Tripneustes lead to its range expansion into Bass Strait and poleward, ~340–650 km further into Ecklonia's habitat range inducing new areas of co‐occurrence in the future. We find warming decreases spawning and settlement of Tripneustes in the tropics by 43%, and causes significant connectivity changes for LHI with future reliance on self‐recruitment. Major conclusions: We predict novel regions of co‐occurrence between a temperate Ecklonia and tropical Tripneustes species which may lead to greater loss of kelp. Our results provide a new modelling approach for predicting species range shifts that is transferable to other marine ecosystems; it considers species response to abiotic change, predicts spatial spread and anticipates new regions for species interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article introduces the concept of Inverted Crusoeism to research into island cultures. The concept derives from the works of J.G. Ballard and provides a reason as to why people would deliberately maroon themselves on a remote island. An analogy is drawn between the concept of Inverted Crusoeism and the choice of David Glasheen to live in isolation on Restoration (Ma'alpiku) Island in Far North Queensland, Australia. Therefore, whereas islandness and aislamiento define the concept of an island and sets its boundaries, this article extends the conceptual framework of the concept of shima, proposing Inverted Crusoeism as a reason why people would choose to subject themselves to a life of isolation on a remote island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Almond is an emerging crop due to the health benefits of almond consumption including nutritional, anti-inflammatory, and hypocholesterolaemia properties. Traditional almond producers were concentrated in California, Australia, and Mediterranean countries. However, almond is currently present in more than 50 countries due to breeding programs have modernized almond orchards by developing new varieties with improved traits related to late flowering (to reduce the risk of damage caused by late frosts) and tree architecture. Almond tree architecture and flowering are acquired and evaluated through intensive field labour for breeders. Flowering detection has traditionally been a very challenging objective. To our knowledge, there is no published information about monitoring of the tree flowering dynamics of a crop at the field scale by using color information from photogrammetric 3D point clouds and OBIA. As an alternative, a procedure based on the generation of colored photogrammetric point clouds using a low cost (RGB) camera on-board an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and an semi-automatic object based image analysis (OBIA) algorithm was created for monitoring the flower density and flowering period of every almond tree in the framework of two almond phenotypic trials with different planting dates. Results: Our method was useful for detecting the phenotypic variability of every almond variety by mapping and quantifying every tree height and volume as well as the flowering dynamics and flower density. There was a high level of agreement among the tree height, flower density, and blooming calendar derived from our procedure on both fields with the ones created from on-ground measured data. Some of the almond varieties showed a significant linear fit between its crown volume and their yield. Conclusions: Our findings could help breeders and researchers to reduce the gap between phenomics and genomics by generating accurate almond tree information in an efficient, non-destructive, and inexpensive way. The method described is also useful for data mining to select the most promising accessions, making it possible to assess specific multi-criteria ranking varieties, which are one of the main tools for breeders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]