Cooperative Research Centre

About: Cooperative Research Centre is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Sea ice. The organization has 7633 authors who have published 8607 publications receiving 429721 citations.

Fibre damage in the manufacture of advanced three-dimensional woven composites

Abstract: Fibre damage caused by the weaving of three-dimensional (3D) fabric preforms for advanced composite materials is investigated. A Jacquard loom was used to weave continuous fibreglass yarns into a 3D orthogonal woven fabric. Samples of warp and through-thickness yarns that form the 3D fabric were taken from the loom at different stages in the weaving process to examine for fibre damage and determine their residual tensile properties. It was discovered that the fibres are abraded against each other and the loom machinery during weaving, and the resulting abrasion damage and removal of sizing agent causes a reduction in yarn strength of between 30 and 50% depending on the type of yarn. Some fibres are also broken during weaving, and this causes a small reduction to the yarn stiffness and contributes to the large loss in yarn strength. The implication of these findings for the design of advanced 3D woven composites in structural applications is discussed.

Comparison of methods to detect rare and cryptic species: A case study using the red fox (Vulpes vulpes)

Abstract: Choosing the appropriate method to detect and monitor wildlife species is difficult if the species is rare or cryptic in appearance or behaviour. We evaluated the effectiveness of the following four methods for detecting red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) on the basis of equivalent person hours in a rural landscape in temperate Australia: camera traps, hair traps (using morphology and DNA from hair follicles), scats from bait stations (using DNA derived from the scats) and spotlighting. We also evaluated whether individual foxes could be identified using remote collection of their tissues. Genetic analysis of hair samples was the least efficient method of detection among the methods employed because of the paucity of samples obtained and the lack of follicles on sampled hairs. Scat detection was somewhat more efficient. Scats were deposited at 17% of bait stations and 80% of scats were amplified with a fox-specific marker, although only 31% of confirmed fox scats could be fully genotyped at all six microsatellite loci. Camera trapping and spotlighting were the most efficient methods of detecting fox presence in the landscape. Spotlighting success varied seasonally, with fox detections peaking in autumn (80% of spotlighting transects) and being lowest in winter (29% of transects). Cameras detected foxes at 51% of stations; however, there was limited seasonality in detection, and success rates varied with camera design. Log-linear models confirmed these trends. Our results showed that the appropriate technique for detecting foxes varies depending on the time of the year. It is suggested that wildlife managers should consider both seasonal effects and species biology when attempting to detect rare or elusive species.