Girls and tea ladies: involvement of Australian female athletes and administrators in the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games

This article focuses on the 1956 Olympic Games in order to consider and ascertain the role and place of women in Australian society, generally, and, more specifically, in Australian 'sport' as both athletes and sporting administrators.

The interaction between the equity premium and the risk-free rate

The equity premium arises from the interaction between the atemporal risk premium for equity, the risk-free rate of intertemporal substitution and the impact of risk on the precautionary motive for saving. Depending on parameter values, the equity premium may either be increased or reduced by the presence of undiversifiable background risk. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

The role of dogs in transmission of gastrointestinal parasites in a remote tea-growing community in northeastern India

The prevalence and risk factors associated with canine gastrointestinal parasitic zoonoses and the role of dogs in the mechanical transmission of human Ascaris infection was examined in three tea estates in Assam, India. Nearly all (99%) dogs harbored one or more zoonotic species of gastrointestinal parasites, with hookworm infection being most common (94%). Parasitic stages presumed to be host-specific for humans such as Ascaris spp. (31%), Trichuris trichiura (25%), and Isospora belli (2%) were also recovered from dog feces. A polymerase chain reaction-linked restriction fragment length polymorphism technique was used to differentiate the species of Ascaris eggs in dog feces. The results of this study demonstrate the role of the dog as a significant disseminator and environmental contaminator of Ascaris lumbricoides in communities where promiscuous defecation by humans occurs.

Colonization and risk factors for Brachyspira aalborgi and Brachyspira pilosicoli in humans and dogs on tea estates in Assam, India

The prevalence of colonization with the anaerobic intestinal spirochaetes Brachyspira aalborgi and Brachyspira pilosicoli was investigated in humans (n = 316) and dogs (n = 101) living on three tea estates in Assam, India. Colonization was detected using PCR on DNA from faeces. Nineteen (6%) human faecal samples contained B. aalborgi DNA, 80 (25.3%) contained B. pilosicoli DNA, and 10 (3.2%) contained DNA from both species. One canine sample contained DNA from B. pilosicoli. Significant factors for B. aalborgi colonization in logistic regression were: infection of family members with B. aalborgi (P < 0.001), being a resident of Balipara (P = 0.03), and use of water treatment (P = 0.03). For B. pilosicoli, significant factors were: other family members being positive for B. pilosicoli (P < 0.001), water obtained from a well (P = 0.006), water treatment (P = 0.03), and not having visited a doctor in the previous 12 months (P = 0.03).

The prevalence, intensities and risk factors associated with geohelminth infection in tea-growing communities of Assam, India

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence, intensity and associated risk factors for infection with Ascaris, hookworms and Trichuris in three tea-growing communities in Assam, India. METHODS Single faecal samples were collected from 328 individuals and subjected to centrifugal floatation and the Kato Katz quantitation technique and prevalence and intensities of infection with each parasite calculated. Associations between parasite prevalence, intensity and host and environmental factors were then made using both univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS The overall prevalence of Ascaris was 38% [95% confidence interval (CI): 33, 43], and the individual prevalence of hookworm and Trichuris was 43% (95% CI: 38, 49). The strongest predictors for the intensity of one or more geohelminths using multiple regression (P less than or equal to 0.10) were socioeconomic status, age, household crowding, level of education, religion, use of footwear when outdoors, defecation practices, pig ownership and water source. CONCLUSION A universal blanket treatment with broad-spectrum anthelmintics together with promotion of scholastic and health education and improvements in sanitation is recommended for helminth control in the communities under study.

Public investment and the risk premium for equity

Analysis of the equity premium puzzle has focused on private-sector capital markets. However, the existence of an anomalous equity premium raises important issues in the evaluation of public-sector investment projects. These issues are explored below. We begin by formalizing the argument that an equity premium may arise from uninsurable systematic risk in labour income, and show that, other things being equal, increases in public ownership of equity will improve welfare, up to the point where the equity premium is eliminated. Finally, we consider policy implications and the optimal extent of public ownership.

HPLC analyses of flavanols and phenolic acids in the fresh young shoots of tea (Camellia sinensis) grown in Australia

As part of a 4-year project to study phenolic compounds in tea shoots over the growing seasons and during black tea processing in Australia, an HPLC method was developed and optimised for the identification and quantification of phenolic compounds, mainly flavanols and phenolic acids, in fresh tea shoots. Methanol proved to be the most suitable solvent for extracting the phenolic compounds, compared with chloroform, ethyl acetate and water. Immediate analysis, by HPLC, of the methanol extract showed higher separation efficiency than analyses after being dried and redissolved. This method exhibited good repeatability (CV 3-9%) and recovery rate (88-116%). Epigallocatechin gallate alone constituted up to 115 mg/g, on a dry basis, in the single sample of Australian fresh tea shoots examined. Four catechins (catechin, gallocatechin, epicatechin and epigallocatechin) and six catechin gallates (epigallocatechin gallate, catechin gallate, epicatechin gallate, gallocatechin gallate, epicatechin digallate and epigallocatechin digallate) have been identified and quantified by this HPLC method. In addition, two major tea alkaloids, caffeine and theobromine, have been quantified, while five flavonol glycosides and six phenolic acids, including quinic acids and esters, were identified and quantified. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Seasonal variations of phenolic compounds in Australia-grown tea (Camellia sinensis)

Seasonal variations of phenolic compounds in fresh tea shoots grown in Australia were studied using an HPLC method. Three principal tea flavanols [epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epigallocatechin (EGC)] and four grouped phenolics [total catechins (Cs), total catechin gallates (CGs), total flavanols (Fla), and total polyphenols (PPs)] in fresh tea shoots were analyzed and compared during the commercial harvest seasons from April 2000 to May 2001. The levels of EGCG, ECG, and CGs in the fresh tea shoots were higher in the warm months of April 2000 (120.52, 34.50, and 163.75 mg/g, respectively) and May 2000 (128.63, 44.26, and 183.83 mg/g, respectively) and lower during the cool months of July 2000 (91.39, 35.16, and 132.30 mg/g, respectively), August 2000 (91.31, 31.56, and 128.64 mg/g, respectively), and September 2000 (96.12, 33.51, and 136.90 mg/g, respectively). Thereafter, the levels increased throughout the warmer months from October to December 2000 and remained high until May 2001. In the warmer months, the levels of EGCG, ECG, and CGs were in most cases significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those in the samples harvested in the cooler months. In contrast, the levels of EGC and Cs were high and consistent in the cooler months and low in the warmer months. The seasonal variations of the individual and grouped catechins were significant (P < 0.05) between the cooler and warmer months. This study revealed that EGCG and ECG could be used as quality descriptors for monitoring the seasonal variations of phenolics in Australia-grown tea leaves, and the ratio (EGCG + ECG)/EGC has been suggested as a quality index for measuring the differences in flavanol levels in fresh tea shoots across the growing seasons. Mechanisms that induce seasonal variations in tea shoots may include one or all three of the following environmental conditions: day length, sunlight, and/or temperature, which vary markedly across seasons. Therefore, further studies under controlled conditions such as in a greenhouse may be required to direct correlate flavonoid profiles of green tea leaves with their yields and also to with conditions such as rainfall and humidity.

Relationship between franking credits and the market risk premium

In a dividend imputation tax system, equity investors have three potential sources of return: dividends, capital gains and franking (tax) credits. However, the standard procedures for estimating the market risk premium (MRP) for use in the capital asset pricing model, ignore the value of franking credits. Officer (1994) notes that if franking credits do affect the corporate cost of capital, their value must be added to the standard estimates of MRP. In the present paper, we explicitly derive the relationship between the value of franking credits (gamma) and the MRP. We show that the standard parameter estimates that have been adopted in practice (especially by Australian regulators) violate this deterministic mathematical relationship. We also show how information on dividend yields and effective tax rates bounds the values that can be reasonably used for gamma and the MRP. We make recommendations for how estimates of the MRP should be adjusted to reflect the value of franking credits in an internally consistent manner.

Phenolic compounds in tea from Australian supermarkets

Phenolic compounds constitute 50-70% of tea water extract and are the main quality parameters for teas. Theaflavins (TF), thearubigins (TR) and theabrownins (TB) are the major polyphenols that determine the quality of black tea. These compounds were measured in 56 leaf teas and teabags sampled from Australian supermarkets in Queensland. The various quantities of TF, ranging from 0.29% to 1.25%, indicate a quality difference that exists among the teas studied. Low TF content in black tea may be due to over-fermenting and/or long periods of storage. The solubility of TR and TB from teabags ranged from 82% to 92%, indicating that the permeability of teabags was variable. Variable quantities of TF in Australian teas show instability and a tendency of TF to oxidize during storage. Total polyphenols in green teas ranged from 14% to 34%, indicating a large variation, which was not reflected in price. The solubility of total polyphenols from teabags has been proposed as a useful quality index of the filtering paper used for the teabags. This chemical analysis of phenolic compounds in commercial teas may be a potential tool for the quality control of Australian manufactured and imported teas in Australian markets. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of different models to describe egg and pupal development of Xyleborus fornicatus Eichh. (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), the shot-hole borer of tea in Sri Lanka

Abstract Development data of eggs and pupae of Xyleborus fornicatus Eichh. (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), the shot-hole borer of tea in Sri Lanka, at constant temperatures were used to evaluate a linear and seven nonlinear models for insect development. Model evaluation was based on fit to data (residual sum of squares and coefficient of determination or coefficient of nonlinear regression), number of measurable parameters, the biological value of the fitted coefficients and accuracy in the estimation of thresholds. Of the nonlinear models, the Lactin model fitted experimental data well and along with the linear model, can be used to describe the temperature-dependent development of this species.

The risk premium for equity: implications for resource allocation, welfare and policy

Analysis of the equity premium puzzle has focused on private sector capital markets. The object of this paper is to consider the welfare and policy implications of each of the broad classes of explanations of the equity premium puzzle. As would be expected, the greater the deviation from the first-best outcome implied by a given explanation of the equity premium puzzle, the more interventionist are the implied policy conclusions. Nevertheless, even explanations of the equity premium puzzle consistent with a general consumption-based asset pricing model have important welfare and policy implications.