New approaches to zoology: Plenary 2

Editorial: Australian Chemistry under the Spotlight

In 1892 William Lane published his novel, The Workingman's Paradise, dealing with life in Sydney and Queensland in the late nineteenth century. 104 years later this 'workingman's paradise' again fell under scrutiny at the conference on Anti-Labour Legislation organised by the Sydney Branch of the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History and the University of Sydney Labour History Group. NSW Attorney-General, Jeff Shaw, delivered the opening address of the conference and outlined the competing economic philosophies that he saw driving the history of Australian labour relations. The first he described as the Protective View. It recognised the unequal power between labour and capital in Australia. Its followers campaigned for workers to have 'freedom to associate' or form unions and for government instrumentalities to set minimum standards to protect workers pay and conditions. Opposing this view, said Shaw, came the disciples of the (free) Market View who believed that the laws should only enter the industrial arena to facilitate individual contacts between employers and their workers. In a survey of Australia, mainly from the 1889s to 1996, Shaw examined what happened when one or other of these views predominated. Michael Quinlan (University of NSW) looked at the one-sided nature of Australia's Master and Servant legislation from 1828 to the 1970s. He pointed out the irony in the title of William Lane's novel in his address which showed that early labour laws were full of penalties to use against workers who didn't work satisfactorily or who absconded from an employer. Rural workers seemed to have worse conditions, usually because the magistrates enforcing the laws on 'recalcitrant7 workers were also local squatters. Ray Markey (University of Wollongong) examined the history of compulsory arbitration in Australia from 1890 to 1914. He argued that the various forms of arbitration adopted in the various colonies/states and by the newly formed Federal Government reflected the views of liberal politicians rather than employers trying to hang on to their gains made in the 1890s (as suggested by Brian Fitzpatrick). He also looked at the difficulty in assessing the impact of arbitration on trade union growth because of the lack of clear sources before 1912, but concluded that recent research suggests that arbitration retarded the growth of trade unions in this period. Andrew Moore (University of Western Sydney)'s address concentrated on legislation between the wars. This was a period in which the ruling class felt under threat of revolution, so it introduced a number of laws to entrench its position, eg. the 1926 Crimes Act and the 'Dog Collar' Acts of 1928 and 1930. These were largely the product of John Latham, Attorney-General in the Bruce-Page Government and ex-World War One Naval Intelligence officer. Prosecutions were conducted against those accused of promoting ill-will between the classes of his Majesty's subjects, such as the publisher of the Workers Weekly as well as against unions like the Waterside Workers' Federation when wharfies refused to load pig-iron for Japan in 1938.

Nadirsyah Hosen, known as Gus Nadir, is a contemporary academic and Muslim leader. He is an Indonesian-born Muslim academic and Islamic cleric with an international reputation. After completing his basic education in Indonesia, he migrated to Australia, where he completed a Doctor of Philosophy in law and commenced his academic career at Wollongong University in 2004. In 2005, while undertaking his postdoctoral research at the University of Queensland, he established the Nahdlatul ‘Ulama (the largest Muslim organization in Indonesia) with branches in Australia and New Zealand. Since then, he has served as the chairperson of the consultative board (Rais Syuriyah) and has published many books and countless journal articles on shari’a. In addition, he has been active in social media creating a website and a virtual community to reach wider audiences.

Grazing by domestic livestock is sometimes promoted as a management tool to benefit biodiversity. In many situations, however, it can produce negative outcomes. Here, we examine the impacts of recent and historic livestock grazing on bird communities in the semi‐arid woodlands in eastern Australia, testing the notion that grazing removes the suppressive effect of structurally complex vegetation on miners, thereby reducing the richness and abundance of small birds. We used time‐ and area‐limited searches of 108 sites varying in livestock grazing history and intensity, to explore the direct and indirect effects of grazing, habitat complexity and the abundance of aggressive, large‐bodied birds on smaller‐bodied birds using two‐way analysis of variance and structural equation modelling. Small birds were less abundant and had lower richness in the presence of miners. Our structural equation models indicated that recent grazing had direct suppressive effects on the abundance of miners, and both richness and abundance of all but the largest‐bodied bird groups. However, higher levels of historic livestock grazing reinforced the competitive exclusion of the six small‐bodied bird groups (insectivores, nectarivores, declining woodland birds, small ground‐foraging birds, all small birds and all non‐miners) by aggressive miners via reductions in habitat complexity. Moreover, the strength of any suppressive effects on small birds or positive effects on large birds by miners increased with increasing miner abundance. Synthesis and applications. Our results highlight the importance of vegetation structural complexity, not only for providing habitat for woodland birds, but also as barriers to the invasion and competitive dominance of miners. Our findings suggest that management actions aimed at reducing tree and shrub density to promote open woodlands are likely to have significant negative consequences for the conservation of small woodland birds.

The virtual 4th International Conference of Agroindustry and Bioeconomy (ICGAB) 2020 has been successfully held and the IOP Conference Proceeding Series: Earth and Environmental Science has been completed. This year ICGAB is special, it is the first virtual conference organised due to the Covid-19 global pandemic which hit us in early 2020. The conference was held virtually because of the travel restriction and social distancing policy of the Republic of Indonesia Government. In order to maintain an academic atmosphere and keep providing an academic forum for the students, academicians, researchers, and professionals despite the pandemic condition, the committee decided to hold the conference virtually.The current ICGAB 2020 is organised by the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Brawijaya (Malang, Indonesia) on the 25th of August 2020. The organiser collaborated with MSAE (Malaysian Society of Agriculture and Food Engineers), AUCFA (ASEAN Universities Consortium on Food and Agro-based Engineering & Technology), Forum Komunikasi Perguruan Tinggi Teknologi Pertanian Indonesia (FKPT-TPI), International Association of Agro-based Engineering and Technology (IAAET), and Advances in Food Science, Sustainable Agriculture and Agroindustrial Engineering (AFSSAAE) with the theme on “Emerging Technology and Integrated Information System for Sustainable Agroindustry”.This conference is aimed to communicate and disseminate research experiences, technology innovation, research and technology advances, as well as case studies related to sustainable agroindustry. This event provides a scientific platform enabling both local and international academia, researchers, policymakers, industry leaders, professionals, and other stakeholders to build networks, share ideas, and create research collaboration. The ICGAB 2020 is hopefully offering all participants to engage with the practices and/or implementation of advanced technology and information system to further develop the green economy in Indonesia through the creation of sustainable agroindustry.Since 2017, ICGAB has been successfully attracting more than 300 participants from different countries to each event. This year we proudly conducted the 4th ICGAB virtually. The conference consisted of the plenary and parallel sessions. The speakers and presenters came from six countries (Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia). The virtual conference was held using the Zoom Meeting Platform. The conference organiser managed the conference from Malang, Indonesia, while the participants and speakers joined the conference virtually from their respective location in several cities in Indonesia and other countries (i.e. Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, Australia, and South Korea). The prominent resource persons invited as the keynote speakers were Rossana Marie Amongo, PhD (University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Baños, the Phillipines), Ir. Mohd Fazly bin Mail P.Eng., M.I.E.M (Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Malaysia), Assoc. Prof. Grause Guido (Tohoku University, Japan), Assoc. Prof. Yasmin Sultanbawa (The University of Queensland, Australia), and Prof. Teti Estiasih (Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia).The parallel session of ICGAB 2020 was well attended with 13 (thirteen) topics covered; all presenters did an outstanding job of sharing their expertise and experiences, beneficial to support the creation of a circular economy in Indonesia. There 243 participants from 6 countries presented and discussed during the conferences. The parallel sessions were conducted in ten different Zoom conference rooms. Each room was led by a chairperson and co-chairperson. Each participant was given seven minutes to present the paper followed by a discussion session led by the chairperson. The parallel sessions run very well. The participants were actively engaged during the discussion sessions. The technical areas and applications covered by the proceedings, namely:1. Food Safety and Security2. Agricultural Engineering3. Agricultural Product Technology4. Agroindustrial Production System Management and Regulation5. Renewable Energy and Biorefinery6. Waste and Environmental Management7. Health, Nutrition and Medical Microbiology8. Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing9. Food Microbiology10. Agro Forestry and Biodiversity11. Fisheries and Marine Resources Technology12. Animal Welfare and Technology13. Bioeconomy and BiobusinessDespite some minor limitations, thanks to the support of innovation and advancement of virtual technologies, it was possible for us to hold the conference on time and excellently.Among the presented papers, 191 manuscripts have been gone through the peer review process and 152 manuscripts have been accepted to be included in this IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science ICGAB 2020 Proceeding. Acknowledgment is due to all participants, reviewers, editors, committees and all who contributed to this event. We hope that this conference proceeding could contribute to the advancement of agricultural technology in the world. We also hope to see you at the 5th ICGAB 2021!CONFERENCE COMMITTEE, Scientific Committee, Steering Committee, Editors, ORGANIZER, SPONSOR and this titles are available in this pdf.

Lowland Farmland Birds III: Delivering Solutions in an Uncertain World. A report on the BOU’s Annual Conference held at the University of Leicester, 31 March–2 April 2009

Welcome to the second issue of the International Journal for Educational Integrity for 2006. As we publish this issue, planning is underway for the 3rd Asia-Pacific Conference on Educational Integrity: Creating a culture of integrity, to be held at the University of South Australia, on 6-7 December 2007. Please mark this date in your calendars and consider making a submission for presentation at the conference (the Call for Papers will commence in January 2007). We are very pleased to announce that Professor Cathy Small, from Northern Arizona University, and Associate Professor Brian Martin from the University of Wollongong have both agreed to present keynote addresses to the conference.
 
 Turning to the Journal, the current issue comprises four very different papers. The first, by Sandy Darab at Southern Cross University, is a revised version of a paper presented at the 2nd Asia-Pacific Conference on Educational Integrity. Darab provides an empirical review of an effort to embed a preventative approach to plagiarism in the online assessment of a first year unit. Using action research, and qualitative data that sought to ‘capture the lived experience of the students’, Darab concludes that incorporating academic skills training within the online environment provides a useful framework for the development of students’ understandings of academic integrity.
 
 In the second paper, Julianne East from LaTrobe University offers insight into one of the issues that international students face as they encounter the concept of plagiarism in Australian universities. Using the idea of ‘high’ and ‘low-context’ cultures, East proposes that the Australian university is a high-context culture in that understandings of plagiarism and academic conventions are often implicit and taken for granted. Theorising from the perspective of critical pedagogy, East argues further that educators need to uncover and challenge authoritarian practices within the academy which have the potential to marginalise and exclude newcomers.
 
 Neera Handa and Wayne Fallon, both from the University of Western Sydney, provide an expanded and revised version of the paper they presented at the 2nd Asia-Pacific Conference on Educational Integrity. The authors evaluate a development workshop which was designed to orient international students regarding the expectations of their new academic environment. Based on analysis of 39 surveys completed by students at the end of the workshop, and a further 30 follow-up evaluations, the authors recommend repeat workshops as an integral part of the overall program content.
 
 Taking a broader approach to educational integrity, the fourth and final paper by Peter Slade and Chris McConville from the University of the Sunshine Coast, examines the ethical issues of requiring teaching staff to be evaluated by students, using the Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET). They argue that the SET is invalid and ultimately flawed as an evaluation instrument. Slade and McConville conclude that the compulsory administration of the SET is ‘a violation of academic freedom and lecturers’ rights’.
 
 All four papers make an important contribution to the emerging area of scholarly inquiry known as academic or educational integrity. Both the Darab paper and that of Handa and Fallon have focused on how best to embed academic skills training and development within students’ programs of study, while East has theorised the underpinning culture of Australian universities as one which has the potential to exclude outsiders. Slade and McConville take the concept of educational integrity beyond the classroom, by questioning the institutional integrity issues of administering a flawed evaluation instrument.
 
 We thank the authors for their contributions to this issue and look forward to receiving papers for the next issue, due for publication in April 2007.
 
 Editors
 
 Helen Marsden: helen.marsden@unisa.edu.au
 Tracey Bretag: tracey.bretage@unisa.edu.au

Field, landscape and regional effects of farmland management on specialist open-land birds: Does body size matter?

The workshop, co‐organized by EFSA and the European Commission (DG SANTE) on 8‐9 October 2024 in Brussels, was the first step in response to the mandates requesting EFSA to review the Guidance Document on Terrestrial Ecotoxicology and to develop a framework for assessing potential indirect effects on biodiversity through trophic interactions in agro‐environmental conditions. The event featured three discussion rounds: Round 1 focused on identifying gaps in current practices, Round 2 provided deeper analysis of these gaps, and Round 3 examined data availability, feasibility, and potential methodologies for addressing the gaps identified in Rounds 1 and 2. The workshop's breakout sessions, central to the event, allowed participants to engage in in‐depth discussions on five specialized topics: Exposure, Non‐Target Arthropods, Non‐Target Terrestrial Plants, in‐soil organisms, and indirect effects. These sessions aimed to gather stakeholder input on the limitations of the current guidance, exchange knowledge on available data and test guidelines, and clarify expectations for the upcoming revision. Each group addressed specific aspects, such as exposure pathways, problem formulation, and effect assessment. The group on indirect effect, a topic currently lacking specific guidance, discussed what can be feasibly achieved in the course of the mandate timeframe. The plenary sessions, held at the end of each day, provided an opportunity for group rapporteurs to present the key findings from their breakout discussions, including identified gaps and suggestions for improvements. These presentations were followed by a Question & Answer session with the audience and reflections from EFSA on the discussions. The outcomes of the breakout sessions were enriching, offering valuable insights that will inform the revision of the guidance document, ensuring it reflects emerging needs and challenges in environmental protection.

Sexual harassment is pervasive in science. A 2018 report found that the prevalence of sexual harassment in academia in the United States is 58%. An activity held at an international scientific congress was designed to advance sexual harassment prevention and elimination and empower binary and nonbinary persons at risk for harassment, discrimination, and violence. The objective is to describe the activity and outcomes to provide a promising model for other scientific communities. A description of the plenary and key components as well as the data collection and analysis of selected outcomes are provided. Among 1338 congress participants from 61 countries, 526 (39%) attended the #MeToo plenary, and the majority engaged in some way during the plenary session. Engagement included standing for the pledge (~85%), participating in the question and answer session (n = 5), seeking counseling (n = 3), and/or providing written post-it comments (n = 96). Respondents to a postcongress survey (n = 388 [24% of all attendees]) ranked the plenary as number 1 among 14 congressional plenaries. In postanalysis, the written post-it comments were sorted into 14 themes within 6 domains, including: (1) emotional responses, (2) barriers to speaking out, (3) public health priorities, (4) reframing narratives about the issue, (5) allyship, and (6) moving the issue forward. Scientific organizations, agencies, and institutions have an important role to play in setting norms and changing enabling policies toward a zero-tolerance culture of sexual harassment. The activity presented offers a promising model for scientific communities with similar goals. The outcomes suggest that the plenary successfully engaged participants and had a measurable impact on the participants.

Following the second session of the forum, a question and answer session was facilitated by Paul Willis. The presentations covered by this plenary session were: John Woinarski (Charles Darwin University) - Killing Peter to save Paul: when is it appropriate to cull native species to benefit other native species?Ricky Spencer (Western Sydney University) - What ‘impact’ will the killing of two million cats by 2020 have on feral cat populations?Rod Kavanagh (Australian Wildlife Conservancy) - Conservation fencing: little cost but significant benefits for threatened native species.Libby Robin (Australian National University) - Eradicating the ugly.George R Wilson and Melanie Edwards (Australian Wildlife Services) - Professional kangaroo population control leads to better animal welfare, conservation outcomes and avoids waste. (Paper included post forum.)

DARLING (1938) suggested that synchrony of laying in colonial birds is stimulated by between birds, and larger colony, greater stimulus. Hence laying in larger colonies will be more synchronized than that in small ones. In Darling's words, the degree of breeding synchrony by stimulation may be densityrelated (Darling 1938: 53). Since then various authors have examined these ideas for different species of birds. Some students found such density correlated onset of laying to occur (Coulson and White 1960 in Black-legged Kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla; Horn 1970 in Brewer's Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus; Nelson 1967 in Gannet, Morus bassana), while others found that they could not confirm phenomenon in various species of gulls, Larus [spp.] (MacRoberts and MacRoberts 1972 in L. argentatus and L. fuscus; Vermeer 1963 in L. glaucescens; Weidmann 1956 in L. ridibundus). In addition to these observations, Ashmole (1963), Hailman (1964), and Harris (1970) suggested that display interaction or social stimulation' cause breeding synchrony in some 'non-annual breeders (the Sooty Tern, Sterna fuscata, and Swallow-tailed Gull, Creagrus furcatus, respectively). Darling (1938) suggested that synchronous laying decreased predation, and Brown (1967), Parsons (1971), Patterson (1965), and Kruuk (1964) proved that Herring, Lesser Black-backed, and Black-headed Gulls (Larus argentatus, L. fuscus, and L. ridibundus respectively) that breed at peak of breeding season had better breeding success than individuals that breed earlier or later than peak. Patterson (1965) also showed that Black-headed Gulls that breed outside or on edge of a colony were more vulnerable to predation and thus less successful than birds in center. Edge effect (i.e. lower breeding success on edge of a colony) was reported for Gannet (Nelson 1967) and kittiwake (Coulson and White 1956). Horn (1968) found that clumped nesting in Brewer's Blackbird improves foraging efficiency and predation avoidance only when colony is built in a large expanse of nesting habitat, surrounded by abundant, but patchily distributed, food. All species mentioned breed in dense colonies, where distance between closest nest is rarely more than a few meters, but there is no reason why territorial species should not synchronize breeding in order to benefit in way that some colonial birds do. For example,

Colonial-nesting organisms can strongly alter the chemical and biotic conditions around their aggregation sites, with cascading impacts on other components of the ecosystem. In tropical Australia, Metallic Starlings (Aplonis metallica) nest in large colonies far above the forest canopy, in emergent trees. The ground beneath those trees is open, in stark contrast to the dense foliage all around. We surveyed the areas beneath 27 colony trees (and nearby randomly chosen trees lacking bird colonies) to quantify the birds' impacts on soil and vegetation characteristics, and to test alternative hypotheses about the proximate mechanisms responsible for the lack of live vegetation beneath colony trees. Nutrient levels were greatly elevated beneath colony trees (especially, those with larger colonies), potentially reaching levels toxic to older trees. However, seedlings thrived in the soil from beneath colony trees. The primary mechanism generating open areas beneath colony trees is disturbance by scavengers (feral pigs and native Turkeys) that are attracted in vast numbers to these nutrient hotspots. Seedlings flourished within exclosures inaccessible to vertebrate herbivores, but were rapidly consumed if unprotected. Our results contrast with previous studies of colonies of seabirds on remote islands, where a lack of large terrestrial herbivores results in bird colonies encouraging rather than eliminating vegetation in areas close to the nesting site. In our continental study system, scavengers may rapidly dilute the spatial heterogeneity generated by the massive nutrient subsidy from bird colonies.

Effects of weaning age on mortality of colony-born Macaca nemestrina

The use of mebendazole-treated diet (60 ppm) effectively controlled Hymenolepis nana and Aspiculuris tetraptera in a large mouse breeding colony. In a 3 generation pilot study using a medicated diet, there was some reduction in litter size and in female growth rate and an overall 2.07% incidence of kinky tails in the offspring. When the whole mouse colony was fed mebendazole-treated diet, a high incidence of kinky tails (maximum 46% of weaned offspring) occurred.