Notice historique sur la ville de Coulommiers, Département de Seine-et-Marne, depuis sa fondation jusquà ce jour. Suivie du procès du nommé Abel de la Rue...

Mode of access: Internet.

Observations in husbandry.

Goldsmiths'-Kress no. 09223.

The patronage of the English bishops : two addresses to the Houses of Lords and Commons of England, and to the British nation, on the proposal of the church commissioners to transfer to the bishops, the patronage of deans and chapters, and to make those cathedral churches dependent on the bishops.

Mode of access: Internet.

Imaginary conversations of literary men and statesmen /

Cf. Wise, T.J. A Landor Library ... London, 1928, p. 31-32.

Life of Thomas Ken.

Mode of access: Internet.

Europe unbound,

Mode of access: Internet.

Poésies complètes /

"Édition en partie originale, et première édition collective," Talvart et Place 12:80.

Low-density koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) populations in the mulgalands of south-west Queensland. IV. Abundance and conservation status

Urban encroachment on dense, coastal koala populations has ensured that their management has received increasing government and public attention. The recently developed National Koala Conservation Strategy calls for maintenance of viable populations in the wild. Yet the success of this, and other, conservation initiatives is hampered by lack of reliable and generally accepted national and regional population estimates. In this paper we address this problem in a potentially large, but poorly studied, regional population in the State that is likely to have the largest wild populations. We draw on findings from previous reports in this series and apply the faecal standing-crop method (FSCM) to derive a regional estimate of more than 59 000 individuals. Validation trials in riverine communities showed that estimates of animal density obtained from the FSCM and direct observation were in close agreement. Bootstrapping and Monte Carlo simulations were used to obtain variance estimates for our population estimates in different vegetation associations across the region. The most favoured habitat was riverine vegetation, which covered only 0.9% of the region but supported 45% of the koalas. We also estimated that between 1969 and 1995 similar to 30% of the native vegetation associations that are considered as potential koala habitat were cleared, leading to a decline of perhaps 10% in koala numbers. Management of this large regional population has significant implications for the national conservation of the species: the continued viability of this population is critically dependent on the retention and management of riverine and residual vegetation communities, and future vegetation-management guidelines should be cognisant of the potential impacts of clearing even small areas of critical habitat. We also highlight eight management implications.

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.

Use of duckweed, bentonite and acid to improve water quality of effluent discharge from abattoirs

Intensive animal industries create large volumes of nutrient rich effluent, which, if untreated, has the potential for substantial environmental degradation. Aquatic plants in aerobic lagoon systems have the potential to achieve inexpensive and efficient remediation of effluent, and to recover valuable nutrients that would otherwise be lost. Members of the family Lemnaceae (duckweeds) are widely used in lagoon systems, but despite their widespread use in the cleansing of sewage, only limited research has been conducted into their growth in highly eutrophic media, and little has been done to systematically distinguish between different types of media. This study examined the growth characteristics of duckweed in abattoir effluent, and explored possible ways of ameliorating the inhibitory factors to growth on this medium. A series of pot trials was conducted to test the tolerance of duckweed to abattoir effluent partially remediated by a sojourn in anaerobic fermentation ponds, both in its unmodified form, and after the addition of acid to manipulate pH, and the addition of bentonite. Unmodified abattoir effluent was highly toxic to duckweed, although duckweed remained viable and grew sub optimally in media with total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) concentrations of up to 100 mg/l. Duckweed also grew vigorously in effluent diluted 1:4 v/v, containing 56 mg TAN/L and also modified by addition of acid to decrease pH to 7 and by adding bentonite (0.5%).

Solid phase microextraction of stale flavour volatiles from the headspace of UHT milk

Solid phase microextraction (SPME) offers a solvent-free and less labour-intensive alternative to traditional flavour isolation techniques. In this instance, SPME was optimised for the extraction of 17 stale flavour volatiles (C3-11,13 methyl ketones and C4-10 saturated aldehydes) from the headspace of full-cream ultrahigh-temperature (UHT)-processed milk. A comparison of relative extraction efficiencies was made using three fibre coatings, three extraction times and three extraction temperatures. Linearity of calibration curves, limits of detection and repeatability (coefficients of variation) were also used in determining the optimum extraction conditions. A 2 cm fibre coating of 50130 gm divinylbenzene/Carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane in conjunction with a 15 min extraction at 40 degrees C were chosen as the final optimum conditions. This method can be used as an objective tool for monitoring the flavour quality of UHT milk during storage. (c) 2005 Society of Chemical Industry.

Determining the age of adult wild dogs (Canis lupus dingo, C-l. domesticus and their hybrids). I. Pulp cavity: tooth width ratios

In order to determine the age of adult wild dogs, we compared two methods ( that of Thomson and Rose (TR method) and that of Knowlton and Whittemore (KW method)) of measuring and calculating pulp cavity : tooth width ratios on upper and lower canine teeth from 68 mixed-sex, known-age wild dogs of 9 months to 13 years of age reared at two localities. Although significant relationships ( P = 0.0001) were found between age and pulp cavity ratios by both methods, the TR ratio calculation and measurement showed heteroscedasity in error variance whereas the KW ratios had a more stable error variance and were normally distributed. The KW method also found significant differences between pulp cavity ratios between teeth of the upper and lower jaws ( P < 0.0001) and sex ( P = 0.01) but not geographic origin ( P = 0.1). Regressions and formulae for fitted curves are presented separately for male and female wild dogs. Males show greater variability in pulp cavity decrements with age than do females, suggesting a physiological difference between the sexes. We conclude that the KW method of using pulp cavity as a proportion of tooth width, measured 15 mm from the root tip and averaged over both upper canines, is the more accurate method of estimating the age of adult wild dogs.

Testosterone secretion and pharmacological spermatozoal recovery in the cane toad (Bufo marinus)

The cane toad (Bufo marinus) was used as a model to study male anuran reproductive endocrinology and to develop a protocol for non-invasive sperm recovery. Circulating testosterone concentrations in 6-hourly samples did not vary significantly (P < 0.05) over a 24 h period although there was a tendency (P = 0.06) for testosterone to be elevated at 19:00 h relative to other times of the day, which may be related to the nocturnal activity pattern of this species. Testosterone secretion after intraperitoneal (IP) injection of either a GnRH agonist (5 mu g IP) or hCG (1000 IU) was also examined. While the GnRH agonist did not produce a significant increase above basal plasma testosterone (0.29, 95% C.I. of 0.05-1.10 ng/ml), injection of hCG resulted in an increase (P < 0.01) of plasma testosterone with peak concentrations at approximately 120 min (4.17, 95% C.I. of 2.69-7.44 ng/ml) after injection. Non-invasive pharmaceutical sperm recovery was attempted following IP injection of graded doses of GnRH agonist, hCG or FSH. Urine was collected at 3, 6 and 12 h after treatment to assess sperm quality and quantity. The optimal protocol for sperm recovery in cane toads was injection of either 1000 or 2000 IU hCG; there was no significant difference in the quality of the spermic urine samples obtained using either dose of hCG or with respect to collection time. The findings indicated that hCG can be used to assess testicular steroidogenic status and also to induce sperm recovery in the cane toad. The hCG protocols developed in this study will have application in studies on the reproductive biology of rare and endangered male anurans. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An investigation into the similarities and differences governing the cryopreservation success of koala (Phascolarctos cinereus: goldfuss) and common wombat (Vombatus ursinus: shaw) spermatozoa

The aim of this study was to determine the relative cryopreservation success of koala and wombat spermatozoa and to investigate reasons for their respective post-thaw survival by examining the sperm's response to a range of osmotic media and determining the presence and distribution of F-actin. An hypothesis was proposed that F-actin may be imparting a degree of structural inflexibility to the koala sperm plasma membrane; hence, exposure of spermatozoa to cytochalasin D (5 mu M), a F-actin depolymerisation agent, should result in increased plasticisation of the membrane and greater tolerance of cell volume changes that typically occur during cryopreservation. In experiment 1, koala (n = 4) and wombat (n = 4) spermatozoa packaged in 0.25 mL straws were cryopreserved using two freezing rates (fast-3 cm above liquid N2 interface; slow-6 degrees C/min in a freezing chamber) and two glycerol concentrations (8 and 14% v/v) in a tris-citrate glucose buffer with 15% (v/v) egg yolk. Wombat spermatozoa showed better (P < 0.01) post-thaw survival (% motile, % intact plasma membranes, % decondensed sperm heads) than koala spermatozoa. When exposed to media of varying osmolality, koala spermatozoa were less tolerant (% intact plasma membrane) of hyper-osmotic conditions (920 and 1410mOsmol/kg) than wombat spermatozoa. F-actin was localised using a monoclonal antibody but only found in the wombat sperm head. When koala and wombat spermatozoa were exposed to media of varying osmolality, cytochalasin D had no beneficial effect on sperm survival (% intact plasma membranes). This study has demonstrated that wombat spermatozoa are highly tolerant of cryopreservation when compared to koala sperm but that spermatozoa from both species show greatest post-thaw survival when frozen slowly in 14% glycerol. Koala sperm are also particularly susceptible to hyper-osmotic environments but lack of detectable F-actin in the koala spermatozoan suggests that poor cryopreservation success in this species is unlikely to be associated with F-actin induced plasma membrane inflexibility. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of artificial foods on the blood chemistry of the Australian magpie

Bird feeding on residential property is a popular activity throughout Western countries. Advocates insist the practice is beneficial, while opponents maintain that it can result in a wide range of negative outcomes including malnutrition. The biological effects of 'backyard feeding' were studied in Australian magpies Gymnorhina tibicen during the non-breeding season in 1999 in the Greater Brisbane and the Lockyer Valley regions, south-east Queensland, Australia. Six magpie populations were selected and 70 birds were individually tagged for identification. The birds were provided with processed foods, 20-40 g per bird daily. To monitor the effects of the food, blood chemistry and body mass (BM) were used as indices. Significant effects were observed in BM and plasma cholesterol (PC), showing strong sensitivity to food provisioning. Significant effects on PC and uric acid were found only when birds were fed dog sausage. Results suggest that blood PC levels in magpies are readily influenced by, probably, the lipids present in food, and that the type of food can affect blood PC levels. These effects may occur widely among fed magpies if the influence that we demonstrated at plasma level can be generalized. Following the free-ranging study, six magpies were captured and subjected to a 6-day captive experiment to determine whether the selected foods had the potential to alter the birds' blood chemistry. It was found that all of the foods, when provided ad libitum, influence at least two of the three blood parameters (PC and non-esterified fatty acids). Due to its popularity, wildlife feeding will continue. To make wildlife-feeding activities truly sustainable, there is a need for further studies. This study clearly demonstrated that the physiology of wild magpies can be affected by 'backyard feeding'.