Department of Industry, Science and Resources

This paper presents a study of the technical efficiency of industries in a transitional economy: China. Using data for 28 manufacturing industries across 29 provinces and the Data Envelopment Analysis approach, the technical efficiency of each industry is measured and compared across regions and provinces. The determinants of differential technical efficiency performance are analysed, with a particular focus on the impact of trade orientation and foreign investment. Trade openness is found generally to have a positive effect on technical efficiency.

The three Negev Desert gerbils, Gerbillus pyramidum (greater Egyptian sand gerbil), Gerbillus allenbyi (Allenby's gerbil), and Gerbillus dasyurus (Wagner's gerbil), show strong patterns of habitat selection along a gradient, from sandy to loessal to rocky habitats, respectively. Within a habitat, a gerbil must be able to harvest seeds and escape predators. To test for the habitat-specific processes governing habitat partitioning by gerbil species, we investigated the roles of escape substrate and foraging substrate in affecting patch use. In an aviary, we manipulated predatory risk using artificial illumination and the presence of Barn Owls (Tyto alba). We manipulated escape substrate and foraging substrate by creating habitat and food patches of sand, rock (a mix of sand and small rocks), and loess substrate. In response to owls, all three gerbil species foraged less and increased their giving-up densities (GUDs) in food patches. In response to foraging substrate, all three species had their lowest GUDs on sand, and their highest GUDs on loess. Gerbillus dasyurus responded less intensively to owls when loess comprised the foraging substrate. Also, each species depended more on its “home” foraging substrate than did the others for the total amount of seeds harvested. Gerbillus pyramidum in particular harvested a greater proportion from sand than did G. dasyurus. Escape substrate had no direct effects on patch use. However, G. dasyurus exhibited a foraging substrate × escape substrate interaction, as the rocky escape substrate enhanced its use of the rocky foraging substrate. Our experiments show that foraging substrate contributes to habitat use by G. allenbyi and G. pyramidum, and that both foraging substrate and escape substrate contribute to habitat use by G. dasyurus.

Abstract Publication of the Composite gazetteer of Antarctica by the SCAR Working Group on Geodesy and Geographic Information is a major milestone in the evolution of Antarctic toponymy. It has taken six years to produce, and contains 21,552 names representing 16,563 geographic features, sourced from 20 national Antarctic gazetteers and one international agency. The Gazetteer has been designed to avoid any value judgement regarding precedence or form of the various place-names. The contents of the two volumes are described, and the results of an analysis of the names data are presented. It is noted that 476 geographic features have two or more completely different names, whereas 3377 features have multiple names due to translation or transliteration. The limited progress towards development of toponymic guidelines for the Antarctic is described, along with plans for further development of the Gazetteer . An immediate benefit of the publication is that national Antarctic geographic names authorities will now be able to avoid approving new names for geographic features that are already named.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) are a suite of harmful chemicals (hereafter collectively referred to as 'dioxins'), and their emission into aquatic habitats leads to persistent contamination of sediments, aquatic food-webs, and seafoods. Quantifying contaminant levels in seafood species is important for the ongoing management of exposure risk by fishers, particularly after any remediation actions. We present dioxin concentrations in four seafood species (Yellowfin Bream Acanthopagrus australis, Sea Mullet Mugil cephalus, Eastern School Prawn Metapenaeus macleayi, and Eastern King Prawn Penaeus plebejus) in a recreationally fished estuary, in relation to a contaminated site that has undergone a remediation process, partially removing contaminated sediments (Homebush Bay, Port Jackson, New South Wales, Australia). Dioxin concentrations in these species were measured before (2005/6) and after (2015/16) remediation at a range of locations in and around the remediated site. Dioxin concentrations and congener profiles differed substantially among taxa, and concentrations were frequently higher than Australian screening criteria. The two prawn species showed evidence of a decline in dioxin concentrations after remediation, but the fish species only showed a declining dioxin concentration with distance from the contaminated site (not between periods). There were some minor changes in the congener profile for some species following remediation. While there was evidence for greatly reduced dioxin concentrations in prawn species following remediation, the complex patterns for fish were likely affected by environmental changes, species-specific and temporal changes in lipid content, and animal movement patterns. Future monitoring may aid interpretation of the patterns and modelling of exposure risk associated with seafood consumption into the future.

The three Negev Desert gerbils, Gerbillus pyramidum (greater Egyptian sand gerbil), Gerbillus allenbyi (Allenby's gerbil), and Gerbillus dasyurus (Wagner's gerbil), show strong patterns of habitat selection along a gradient, from sandy to loessal to rocky habitats, respectively. Within a habitat, a gerbil must be able to harvest seeds and escape predators. To test for the habitat-specific processes governing habitat partitioning by gerbil species, we investigated the roles of escape substrate and foraging substrate in affecting patch use. In an aviary, we manipulated predatory risk using artificial illumination and the presence of Barn Owls (Tyto alba). We manipulated escape substrate and foraging substrate by creating habitat and food patches of sand, rock (a mix of sand and small rocks), and loess substrate. In response to owls, all three gerbil species foraged less and increased their giving-up densities (GUDs) in food patches. In response to foraging substrate, all three species had their lowest GUDs on sand, and their highest GUDs on loess. Gerbillus dasyurus responded less intensively to owls when loess comprised the foraging substrate. Also, each species depended more on its “home” foraging substrate than did the others for the total amount of seeds harvested. Gerbillus pyramidum in particular harvested a greater proportion from sand than did G. dasyurus. Escape substrate had no direct effects on patch use. However, G. dasyurus exhibited a foraging substrate × escape substrate interaction, as the rocky escape substrate enhanced its use of the rocky foraging substrate. Our experiments show that foraging substrate contributes to habitat use by G. allenbyi and G. pyramidum, and that both foraging substrate and escape substrate contribute to habitat use by G. dasyurus.

The Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) program was established in 1990 to bring together the research efforts of Australia's universities, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), industry, and other research providers. It was hoped that long-term strategic research relationships would be more effective than the existing arrangements, and that a cooperative research effort would involve research users and also provide a broader education and training experience. To date, 68 centres have been established from five highly competitive selection rounds. A sixth selection round is presently under way to select a new round of centres to commence in 1999. There are 35 centres which have been involved in biotechnology at one level or another. These centres are in the manufacturing, agricultural, environmental, and medical sectors. The activities in biotechnology cover such areas as genetic engineering, molecular genetics, cell culture and fermentation, pest management technologies, plant genetics, germplasm evaluation, reproduction technology, vaccine development, waste treatment, environmental biology, therapeutics, and the development of diagnostics. The CRC program has brought about a cultural change in Australian research and research management. Significant achievements are now being identified as outcomes from the program. Some of these achievements can be seen as commercial outcomes, but noncommercial outcomes such as improved postgraduate and extension education services, technology transfer, and improved research management have also been important. Drug Dev. Res. 46:171–175, 1999. Published 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) program was established in 1990 to bring together the research efforts of Australia's universities, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), industry, and other research providers. It was hoped that long-term strategic research relationships would be more effective than the existing arrangements, and that a cooperative research effort would involve research users and also provide a broader education and training experience. To date, 68 centres have been established from five highly competitive selection rounds. A sixth selection round is presently under way to select a new round of centres to commence in 1999. There are 35 centres which have been involved in biotechnology at one level or another. These centres are in the manufacturing, agricultural, environmental, and medical sectors. The activities in biotechnology cover such areas as genetic engineering, molecular genetics, cell culture and fermentation, pest management technologies, plant genetics, germplasm evaluation, reproduction technology, vaccine development, waste treatment, environmental biology, therapeutics, and the development of diagnostics. The CRC program has brought about a cultural change in Australian research and research management. Significant achievements are now being identified as outcomes from the program. Some of these achievements can be seen as commercial outcomes, but noncommercial outcomes such as improved postgraduate and extension education services, technology transfer, and improved research management have also been important. Drug Dev. Res. 46:171–175, 1999. Published 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.