Book review of Mark McGillivray and Gary Smith's (eds.) "Australia and Asia", Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1997. vii + 248 pp

The political capital invested in Australia's engagement with Asia over the past decade has sparked a lively discussion in the Australian academic community. The back cover of the book under review suggests that there are 'few bigger contemporary issues facing Australia than its relationship with Asia'. If the volume of scholarly material being produced on this issue is any indication, they are right. Like a number of similar works covering the shift in Australian foreign, defence, and trade policies towards Asia over the last decade, this book acknowledges a particular debt of gratitude to the Keating government for establishing regional engagement at the forefront of our national consciousness. Unlike some others however, this book seeks to place Australia's more recent 'discovery' of Asia into a broader historical framework.

A framework to monitor sustainability in the grains industry

Community awareness of the sustainable use of land, water and vegetation resources is increasing. The sustainable use of these resources is pivotal to sustainable farming systems. However, techniques for monitoring the sustainable management of these resources are poorly understood and untested. We propose a framework to benchmark and monitor resources in the grains industry. Eight steps are listed below to achieve these objectives: (i) define industry issues; (ii) identify the issues through growers, stakeholder and community consultation; (iii) identify indicators (measurable attributes, properties or characteristics) of sustainability through consultation with growers, stakeholders, experts and community members, relating to: crop productivity; resource maintenance/enhancement; biodiversity; economic viability; community viability; and institutional structure; (iv) develop and use selection criteria to select indicators that consider: responsiveness to change; ease of capture; community acceptance and involvement; interpretation; measurement error; stability, frequency and cost of measurement; spatial scale issues; and mapping capability in space and through time. The appropriateness of indicators can be evaluated using a decision making system such as a multiobjective decision support system (MO-DSS, a method to assist in decision making from multiple and conflicting objectives); (v) involve stakeholders and the community in the definition of goals and setting benchmarking and monitoring targets for sustainable farming; (vi) take preventive and corrective/remedial action; (vii) evaluate effectiveness of actions taken; and (viii) revise indicators as part of a continual improvement principle designed to achieve best management practice for sustainable farming systems. The major recommendations are to: (i) implement the framework for resources (land, water and vegetation, economic, community and institution) benchmarking and monitoring, and integrate this process with current activities so that awareness, implementation and evolution of sustainable resource management practices become normal practice in the grains industry; (ii) empower the grains industry to take the lead by using relevant sustainability indicators to benchmark and monitor resources; (iii) adopt a collaborative approach by involving various industry, community, catchment management and government agency groups to minimise implementation time. Monitoring programs such as Waterwatch, Soilcheck, Grasscheck and Topcrop should be utilised; (iv) encourage the adoption of a decision making system by growers and industry representatives as a participatory decision and evaluation process. Widespread use of sustainability indicators would assist in validating and refining these indicators and evaluating sustainable farming systems. The indicators could also assist in evaluating best management practices for the grains industry.

Mechanisms of substitution reactions on cyclometallated platinum(IV) complexes: "Quasi-labile" systems

The substitution reactions of SMe2 by phosphines (PMePh2, PEtPh2, PPh3, P(4-MeC6H4)(3), P(3-MeC6H4)(3), PCy3) on Pt-IV complexes having a cyclometalated imine ligand, two methyl groups in a cis-geometrical arrangement, a halogen, and a dimethyl sulfide as ligands, [Pt(CN)(CH3)(2)(X)(SMe2)], have been studied as a function of temperature, solvent, and electronic and steric characteristics of the phosphines and the X and CN ligands. In all cases, a limiting dissociative mechanism has been found, where the dissociation of the SMe2 ligand corresponds to the rate-determining step. The pentacoordinated species formed behaves as a true pentacoordinated Pt-IV compound in a steady-state concentration, given the solvent independence of the rate constant. The X-ray crystal structures of two of the dimethyl sulfide complexes and a derivative of the pentacoordinate intermediate have been determined. Differences in the individual rate constants for the entrance of the phosphine ligand can only be estimated as reactivity ratios. In all cases an effect of the phosphine size is detected, indicating that an associative step takes place from the pentacoordinated intermediate. The nature of the (CN) imine and X ligands produces differences in the dimethyl sulfide dissociation reactions rates, which can be quantified by the corresponding DeltaS double dagger values (72, 64, 48, 31, and 78 J K-1 mol(-1) for CN/X being C6H4CHNCH2C6H5/Br, C6H4CHNCH2-(2,4,6-(CH3)(3))C6H2/Br, C6H4CHNCH2C6H5/Cl, C6Cl4CHNCH2C6H5/Cl, and C6W4CH2NCHC6H5/ Pr, respectively). As a whole, the donor character of the coordinated C-aromatic and X atoms have the greatest influence on the dissociativeness of the rate-determining step.

Review of "Comorbidity, disability and the need for treatment for DSM-IV psychiatric disorders in an insured population"

Background: This study presents estimates of 12 month and current prevalences of DSM-IV disorders, and the related comor-bidity, disability and service utilization, derived from a national probability sample in Australia. Methods: The DSM-IV psychiatric disorders among persons aged 18 and over in the Australian population were assessed with data collected by lay interviewers using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, other screening interviews and measures of disability and service utilization. The response rate was 78.1% and the final sample size was 10,641 adults. Results: Close to 20% reported at least one twelve month disorder and 13% a disorder current within the past 30 days. ICD-10 diagnoses were also derived, DSM-IV was the more conservative classification whether or not the new clinical significance criteria was applied. Major depression, any personality disorder, and alcohol dependence were the three most common twelve month disorders, generalized anxiety disorder replaced alcohol dependence as the third most common current disorder. The sexes has similar rates of any disorder, but women had higher rates of affective and anxiety disorders, men higher rates of substance use disorders. Prevalence of most disorders declined with age and education, and were lower among those employed or married. Respondents whose symptoms met criteria for three or more disorders in the past year had greatly increased rates of disability and of mental health consultations. The affective and somatoform disorders were associated with the highest rates of disability. Only 36% of people with a mental disorder this year had consulted for a mental problem, and most had seen a general practitioner. We identified those with a current disorder who were disabled or multiply comorbid - only half had consulted and of those who had not, more than half said they did not need treatment. Conclusions: The 12 month prevalence was lower than reported in the US National Comorbidity Survey but method factors might account for this. The relationships between prevalence and demographic variables, and between comorbidity, disability and service utilization were similar to those found in the US survey. Australia has a national health insurance scheme with total coverage and access to medical help is available to all, commonly at little or no cost. We identify the high rate of not consulting among those with a current disorder, and additional disability or multiple comorbidity, as an important public health problem. Kessler argued for more research on barriers to professional help seeking. This report reinforces his conclusion and shows that economic barriers are not the dominant issue.

Characteristics of DSM-IV and ICD-10 cannabis dependence among Australian adults: results from the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing

A representative sample (n = 10 641) of Australian adults completed a structured diagnostic interview assessing the prevalence of mental and substance use disorders in the last year. The prevalence of DSM-IV (1.5%) and ICD-10 (1.7%) cannabis dependence was similar. DSM-IV and ICD-10 dependence criteria comprised unidimensional syndromes. The most common symptoms among dependent and non-dependent users were difficulties with controlling use and withdrawal, although there were marked differences in symptom prevalence. Dependent users reported a median of four symptoms. There was good to excellent diagnostic concordance (kappas = 0.7-0.9) between systems for dependence but not for abuse/harmful use (Y = 0.4). These findings provide some support for the validity of cannabis dependence. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Early-Mid Holocene climatic variations in Tasmania, Australia: multi-proxy records in a stalagmite from Lynds Cave

Mass spectrometric uranium-series dating and C-O isotopic analysis of a stalagmite from Lynds Cave, northern Tasmania, Australia provide a high-resolution record of regional climate change between 5100 and 9200 yr before present (BP). Combined delta(18)O, delta(13)C, growth rate, initial U-234/U-238 and physical property (color, transparency and porosity) records allow recognition of seven climatic stages: Stage I ( > 9080 yr BP) - a relatively dry period at the beginning of stalagmite growth evidenced by elevated U-234/U-238; Stage II (9080-8600 yr BP) - a period of unstable climate characterized by high-frequency variability in temperature and bio-productivity; Stage 111 (8600-8000 yr BP) - a period of stable and moderate precipitation and stable and high bio-productivity, with a continuously rising temperature; Stage IV (8000-7400 yr BP) - the warmest period with high evaporation and low effective precipitation (rainfall less evaporation); Stage V (7400-7000 yr BP) - the wettest period with highest stalagmite growth and enhanced but unstable bio-productivity; Stage VI (7000-6600 yr BP) - a period with a significantly reduced precipitation and bio-productivity without noticeable change in temperature; Stage VII (6600-5100 yr BP) - a period of lowest temperature and precipitation marking a significant climatic deterioration. Overall, the records suggest that the warmest climate occurred between 8000 and 7400 yr BP, followed by a wettest period between 7400 and 7000 yr BP. These are broadly correlated with the so-called 'Mid Holocene optimum' previously proposed using pollen and lake level records. However, the timing and resolution of the speleothem. record from Lynds Cave are significantly higher than in both the pollen and lake level records. This allows us to correlate the abrupt change in physical property, delta(18)O, delta(13)C, growth rate, and initial U-234/U-238 of the stalagmite at similar to8000 yr BP with a global climatic event at Early-Mid Holocene transition. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

An integrative approach for studying the etiology of alcoholism and other addictions

Studies of alcoholism etiology often focus on genetic or psy-chosocial approaches, but not both. Greater understanding of the etiology of alcohol, tobacco and other addictions will come from integration of these research traditions. A research approach is outlined to test three models for the etiology of addictions — behavioral undercontrol, pharmacologic vulnerability, negative affect regulation — addressing key questions including (i) mediators of genetic effects, (ii) genotype-environment correlation effects, (iii) genotype x environment interaction effects, (iv) the developmental unfolding of genetic and environmental effects, (v) subtyping including identification of distinct trajectories of substance involvement, (vi) identification of individual genes that contribute to risk, and (vii) the consequences of excessive use. By using coordinated research designs, including prospective assessment of adolescent twins and their siblings and parents; of adult substance dependent and control twins and their MZ and DZ cotwins, the spouses of these pairs, and their adolescent offspring; and of regular families; by selecting for gene-mapping approaches sibships screened for extreme concordance or discordance on quantitative indices of substance use; and by using experimental (drug challenge) as well as survey approaches, a number of key questions concerning addiction etiology can be addressed. We discuss complementary strengths and weaknesses of different sampling strategies, as well as methods to implement such an integrated approach illustrated for the study of alcoholism etiology. A coordinated program of twin and family studies will allow a comprehensive dissection of the interplay of genetic and environmental risk-factors in the etiology of alcoholism and other addictions.