Plant, R 1999, Effects of Land Use on Regional Nitrous Oxide Emissions in the Humid Tropics of Costa Rica. Extrapolating Fluxes from Field to Regional Scales., Wageningen Agricultural University, The Netherlands.
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PhD Thesis Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands. 131 pp
Middelburg, J, Liss, P, Dentener, F, Kaminski, T, Kroeze, C, Malingreau, J, Novak, M, Panikov, N, Plant, R, Starink, M & Wanninkhof, R 1999, 'Relations between scale, model approach, and model parameters' in Bouwman, AF (ed), Relations Between Scale, Model Approach, and Model Parameters, Elsevier, Netherlands, pp. 217-232.
Black, J, Mason, C & Stanley, K 1999, 'Travel demand management: policy context and an application by the University of New South Wales as a large trip generator', Transport Engineering in Australia, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 1-11.
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Major trip generators should adopt an organisation-based program for travel demand management (TDM) and form alliances to support government initiatives in achieving more sustainable cities. Responsibility for changes to travel behaviour is a shared one, signalling a departure from traditional approaches to urban transport planning and management. The context for this paradigm shift is described with reference to TDM and sustainable transport, and to NSW government policy. Overseas experience with trip generators and TDM, and 'green transport plans' (also known as 'mobility managementâ) is outlined before describing initiatives taken by the UNSW Transport Program. These include: introducing with Sydney Buses crowd management at bus stops, communicating with public transport users, promoting new services, advocating for more bus priority measures, and making the explicit link between transport and health by promoting physical activity through 'active transport' choices. Crowd management has substantially reduced delays and uncertainty in queues; and UNSW promotion of a new service was cited as the second most important source of information to users. Potential exists for sharing experience and improving program effectiveness. We recommend building TDM programs into the existing communication networks of major trip generators.
Bouman, BAM, Plant, RAJ & Nieuwenhuyse, A 1999, 'Quantifying economic and biophysical sustainability trade-offs in tropical pastures', Ecological Modelling, vol. 120, no. 1, pp. 31-46.
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Sustainability of tropical pastures has various economic and biophysical dimensions and is affected by species composition, age and management. The sustainability of pastures in cattle ranching systems was analyzed in terms of economic viability, soil nitrogen stock change, CO2 loss:sequestration, N2O and NO emissions, pollution by herbicides, and nitrogen leaching loss, for a case study in the Northern Atlantic Zone of Costa Rica. Development scenarios were explored for the next 25 years based on degradation and yield decline of current pastures, and on possible introduction of grassâlegumes and fertilized improved grass species. With degradation of current pastures, gross margin, soil nitrogen stock, nitrogen leaching and N2O and NO emissions are simulated to decrease in time, whereas CO2 emission and herbicide use increase. With the introduction of grassâlegumes or fertilized grasses, the reverse takes place. The conversion of degraded pasture to grassâlegumes or fertilized grasses is calculated to lead to a sequestration of CO2 of up to 50 ton C per ha, which might be a potential mechanism in mitigating the greenhouse effect. Quantitative, exploratory studies point out the often conflicting nature of different dimensions of sustainability and show possible pathways of sustainable development.
Briggs, C 1999, ''The Transition and Decline of the ACTU During the 1990s: From a 'Governing Institution' to a 'Servicing' Organisation'', New Zealand Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. 24, no. 3.
Callus, R, Buchanan, J & Briggs, C 1999, 'What Impact has the Howard Government had on Wages and Hours of Work?', Journal of Australian Political Economy, no. 43, pp. 1-21.
Howe, C & White, S 1999, 'Integrated Resource Planning for Water and Wastewater', Water International, vol. 24, no. 4, pp. 356-362.
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Jacobs, BC & Pearson, CJ 1999, 'Growth, Development and Yield of Rice in Response to Cold Temperature', Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, vol. 182, no. 2, pp. 79-88.
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The effects of duration of cold, varying from 1 to 15 days, at 15/10 °C day/night temperature, were examined at floral initiation and booting in three cultivars of rice which differed in sensitivity to cold. Cold durations of greater than 1 day reduced spikelet number (up to 41 %), spikelet fertility (up to 90 %), inflorescence branch number (up to 43 %) and total length of branches (up to 34 %) relative to controls. Cold reduced spikelet number more than fertility at floral initiation, whereas cold reduced fertility more at booting. Some processes of growth — inflorescence branching, spikelet development, and dry matter accumulation — were directly and irreversibly damaged by cold. On the other hand, apex elongation showed thermal retardation (defined as a reduction in growth rate during the period of cold, only to the extent predicted from reduced thermal time) but recovered after cold was relieved. The sensitivity of a particular physiological process to cold may be related to the ability of the rate of that process to recover from cold stress and the opportunity (after cold stress is removed) for the completion of growth before the end of a development phase.
Plant, RAJ & Bouman, BAM 1999, 'Modeling Nitrogen Oxide Emissions from Current and Alternative Pastures in Costa Rica', Journal of Environmental Quality, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 866-872.
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AbstractEmissions of nitrogen (N) oxide were simulated for one current, unsustainable pasture management system (Natural) and two alternative, sustainable systems (Grass‐Legume and Fertilized Improved) relevant to the Northern Atlantic Zone (NAZ) of Costa Rica. To produce frequency distributions of N oxide emissions, an expert system for generating technical coefficients of pastures was linked with a process‐based simulation model. The expert model generated parameter sets representing different options for the three management systems. The simulation model was rerun for each parameter set. Simulated nitrous oxide (N2O)‐N losses 25 yr after pasture establishment were 3 to 5 kg ha−1 yr−1 for natural pastures, 12 to 15 for grass‐legume mixtures, and 7 to 28 for fertilized grasses. Losses of nitric oxide (NO)‐N were 1 to 2 kg ha−1 yr−1 for natural pastures, 7 to 8 for grass‐legume mixtures, and 3 to 16 for fertilized grasses. Stepwise multiple regression showed that N2O‐N losses were explained by annual C input to the soil (R2 = 0.997), and NO‐N losses by attainable dry matter production (R2 = 0.972). Carbon input and dry matter production were controlled by stocking rate and fertilizer level. Soilatmosphere N oxide emissions from pastures may increase by a factor 3 to 5 when natural pastures are converted to improved pastures. Such conversion may increase the sustainability of the pasture by stopping the decline of soil N. However, the change is not necessarily sustainable from a global perspective because it increases the emission of N oxide greenhouse gases.
Simi, AL & Mitchell, CA 1999, 'Design and hydraulic performance of a constructed wetland treating oil refinery wastewater', WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 301-307.
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This paper considers the hydraulics of a wetland constructed by BP Oil for polishing wastewater from their oil refinery at Bulwer Island, Australia. As this open water surface flow (SF) wetland has a novel design to enhance mixing, a tracer study was performed to analyse the hydraulic flow distribution through the wetland. It is a baseline study, following construction, prior to planting. As introduction to the study, details of the wetland design are provided, together with design justification. The volume of the wetland active zone is estimated as 70% of the total wetland capacity, which compares very favourably with the active volume expected in flat-bottomed ponds. The large amount of dispersion observed along the length of the wetland bed approaches that of a well-mixed system, supporting the claim that this novel bed structure enhances mixing. We expect to at least retain, and possibly improve the degree of mixing by alternating planted shallow zones with unplanted deep zones. The first stage of experimental work at this wetland involves creating a baseline of hydraulic data on which to build a mass balance model of the wetlands performance. Tracer studies will be repeated on the planted, mature wetland to determine the changes to flow, which might occur in the operating system. Together with wetland performance results, these studies will underpin investigations into the pollutant removal mechanisms at BP Oil's Bulwer Island wetland.
Hong, G, Dartnall, WJ & Mallinson, SG 1970, 'Preliminary Analysis of a Long Stroke Natural Gas Engine Based on LSRM', SAE Technical Paper Series, Future Transportation Technology Conference & Exposition, SAE International.
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A natural gas engine based on the principle of a long stroke reciprocating mechanism (LSRM) is proposed. The crankshaft arrangement in a conventional internal combustion (IC) engine will be replaced by a LSRM featuring long stroke and low speed. A major advantage of this LSRM system is that it considerably reduces the side force, which is inherent in conventional crankshaft arrangements. Another advantage is that the LSRM engine will be more compact than an equivalent crank engine operating under the same conditions of speed, power output and so on. The reduced size and complexity of the engine lead to a favorable reduction in manufacturing and, more importantly, maintenance costs. Using gas fuel will allow an increased compression ratio, which is usually limited by the operating nature of the Otto cycle in gasoline engines. With a longer stroke length and lower engine speed, the engine fuel injection system can achieve better engine combustion and performance than current IC engines. This paper reports the preliminary analysis of the LSRM engine. The advantages and anticipated problems are discussed based on a comparison of the LSRM engine and the conventional IC engine. The potential problem of heat loss, which may be caused by the low engine operational speed, was examined through thermodynamic cycle analysis. The results of this analysis show that the heat loss from the LSRM engine will be in the normal range experienced by conventional IC engines if the ambient air is used as the cooling medium. Copyright © 1999 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.
Simi, AL & Mitchell, CA 1970, 'Design and Hydraulic Performance of a Constructed Wetland Treating Oil Refinery Wastewater', Water Science and Technology, 6th International Conference on Wetland Systems for Water Pollution Control, IWA Publishing, Brazil, pp. 301-307.
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This paper considers the hydraulics of a wetland constructed by BP Oil for polishing wastewater from their oil refinery at Bulwer Island, Australia. As this open water surface flow (SF) wetland has a novel design to enhance mixing, a tracer study was performed to analyse the hydraulic flow distribution through the wetland. It is a baseline study, following construction, prior to planting. As introduction to the study, details of the wetland design are provided, together with design justification. The volume of the wetland active zone is estimated as 70% of the total wetland capacity, which compares very favourably with the active volume expected in flat-bottomed ponds. The large amount of dispersion observed along the length of the wetland bed approaches that of a well-mixed system, supporting the claim that this novel bed structure enhances mixing. We expect to at least retain, and possibly improve the degree of mixing by alternating planted shallow zones with unplanted deep zones. The first stage of experimental work at this wetland involves creating a baseline of hydraulic data on which to build a mass balance model of the wetlands performance. Tracer studies will be repeated on the planted, mature wetland to determine the changes to flow, which might occur in the operating system. Together with wetland performance results, these studies will underpin investigations into the pollutant removal mechanisms at BP Oil's Bulwer Island wetland.
Cantley-Smith, R, Tito, F & Roach, S Enduring Solutions PtyLtd 1999, To Each According to Their Needs: Report on best practice options for case streaming and case management of workers' compensation claimants, Australia.
Plant, R & Langenberg, J Statistics Netherlands (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek) 1999, Innovatie en provincie 1999. Regionale innovatieprofielen van het MKB in Nederland (Technological Innovations by Dutch Small and Medium Enterprises (SME's) at the Province Level 1999, IN DUTCH), pp. 1-256, Voorburg/Heerlen.
White, S & Fane, SA Institute for Sustainable Futures, UTS 1999, Esperance water resource use efficiency study, pp. 1-39, Sydney.
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The town of Esperance is located on the coast of the Southern Ocean, 600 km to the east south-east of Perth. The town had a population of 8,547 in August 1996. The climate is Mediterranean in nature, and the annual rainfall ranges from 404 mm to 1004 mm with an average of approximately 585 mm/a (WA Department of Agriculture, 1988). The population of Esperance is projected to grow in the medium term due to the further development of the mining and processing industries in the Goldfields region to the north and due to the continuing movement of retirees to the seaside town. Esperance faces significant pressures on its water supplies due to the levels of groundwater usage, which are projected to increase due to population increase, and due to deteriorating water quality. The town is currently dependent on groundwater for virtually all of its water requirements. Scheme water is supplied to the community from the Water Corporation of W.A. (WCWA) borefield, situated to the west of the township. A number of large industries also draw on significant volumes of groundwater through private bores to sustain their operations. Major water using industries in the town include the CSBP fertiliser works, the wharf, and the concrete works. The majority of scheme water supplied by the WCWA is, however, used by the domestic sector. Both the WCWA bore field and the private bores in the township draw solely from groundwater sources which are shallow, unconfined or superficial aquifers. There is a strong likelihood that the current level of groundwater extractions in Esperance exceed the recharge rate for the aquifers supplying the town. An unsustainable level of groundwater use is indicated by a lowering of the water tables, both in the town and the surrounding region. This includes the area covered by the Water Corporation bore field. This trend of decreasing hydraulic heads in monitored bores has been observed over a number of years.
