Mutation scanning analysis of Marteilia sydneyi populations from different geographical locations in eastern Australia

Marteilia sydneyi (Paramyxea) is the causative agent of QX disease in oysters. In spite of the economic impact of this disease, its origin and the precise reason(s) for its apparent spread in Australian waters are not yet known. Given such knowledge gaps, investigating the population genetic structure(s) of M. sydneyi populations could provide insights into the epidemiology and ecology of the parasite and could assist in its prevention and control. In this study, single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP)-based analysis of a region (195 bp) of the first internal transcribed spacer (ITS-1) of ribosomal DNA was employed to investigate genetic variation within and among five populations of M. sydneyi from oysters from five different locations in eastern Australia. The analysis showed the existence of a genetic variant of M. sydneyi common to the Great Sandy Strait, and the Richmond and Georges Rivers, as distinct from variants at the Pimpama and Clarence Rivers. Together with historical and other information relating to the QX disease outbreaks in eastern Australia, the molecular findings support the proposal that the parasite originated in the Great Sandy Strait and/or Richmond River and then extended southward along the coast. From a technical perspective, the study demonstrated the usefulness of SSCP as a tool to study the population genetics and epidemiology of M. sydneyi. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Systematics and evolution of ticks with a list of valid genus and species names

In recent years there has been much progress in our understanding of the phylogeny and evolution of ticks, in particular the hard ticks (Ixodidae). Indeed, a consensus about the phylogeny of the hard ticks has emerged which is quite different to the working hypothesis of 10 years ago. So that the classification reflects our knowledge of ticks, several changes to the nomenclature of ticks are imminent or have been made. One subfamily, the Hyalomminae, should be sunk, while another, the Bothriocrotoninae, has been created (Klompen, Dobson & Barker, 2002). Bothriocrotoninae, and its sole genus Bothriocroton, have been created to house an early-diverging ('basal') lineage of endemic Australian ticks that used to be in the genus Aponomma. The remaining species of the genus Aponomma have been moved to the genus Amblyomma. Thus, the name Aponomma is no longer a valid genus name. The genus Rhipicephalus is paraphyletic with respect to the genus Boophilus. Thus, the genus Boophilus has become a subgenus of the genus Rhipicephalus (Murrell & Barker, 2003). Knowledge of the phylogenetic relationships of ticks has also provided new insights into the evolution of ornateness and of their life cycles, and has allowed the historical zoogeography of ticks to be studied. Finally, we present a list of the 899 valid genus and species names of ticks as of February 2004.

Influence of the 23 October 2002 dust storm on the air quality of four Australian cities

Widespread drought and record maximum temperatures in eastern Australia produced a large dust storm on 23 October, 2002 which traversed a large proportion of eastern Australia and engulfed communities along a 2000 km stretch of coastline from south of Sydney ( NSW) to north of Mackay ( Queensland). This event provided an opportunity for a study of the impacts of rural dust upon the air quality of four Australian cities. A simple model is used to predict dust concentrations, dust deposition rates and particle size characteristics of the airborne dust in the cities. The total dust load of the plume was 3.35 to 4.85 million tones, and assuming a ( conservative) plume height of 1500 m, 62 - 90% of this dust load was deposited in-transit to the coast. It is conservatively estimated that 3.5, 12.0, 2.1 and 1.7 kilotonnes of dust were deposited during the event in Sydney, Brisbane, Gladstone and Mackay, respectively. In the South East Queensland region, this deposition is equivalent to 40% of the total annual TSP emissions for the region. The event increased TSP, PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations and reduced the visibility beyond the health and amenity guidelines in the four cities. For example, the 24-h average PM10 concentrations in Brisbane and Mackay, were 161 and 475 mu g m(-3) respectively, compared with the Australian national ambient air quality standard of 50 mu g m(-3). The 24-h average PM2.5 concentration in Brisbane was 42 mu g m(-3), compared with the national advisory standard of 25 mu g m(-3). These rural dusts significantly increased PM10/TSP ratios and decreased PM2.5/PM10 ratios, indicating that most of the particles were between PM2.5 and PM10.

Won't pay or can't pay? Exploring the use of fines as a sentencing alternative for public nuisance type offences in Queensland

The complex relationship between marginalized people, 'public nuisance type offences' and fines law is explored. Court observation research conducted in Brisbane is reported which suggests that indigent people are more likely than others to appear before the court on charges related to public space offences, and that they are just as likely as others to receive a fine in response to their offending behaviour despite the legislative provisions aimed at avoiding this

The nomenclature of style: Brutalism, Minimalism, art history and visual style in architecture journals

The naming of styles or movements is a basic mechanism of the architectural journals. The announcement of new tendencies, groups or philosophies, gives a journal its character as ‘news’, and if such terms are taken up in general discourse this demonstrates the prescience of the editor and enhances the repute of the journal. The announcement of phenomenon such as ‘critical regionalism’ or ‘deconstructivism’ referred architectural developments to a context in socio-politics or philosophy, and thus aimed to provide at least an initial resistance to their understanding as the formal styles which they quickly became. A different strategy, or occasion, which this paper will discuss, is where the name of an architectural moment is given in the traditional form of an art historical style. Here the nomenclature of style and a certain attitude to form is introduced as the starting point for a more open ended critical inquiry. Two examples of this strategy will be given. The first is Peter Reyner Banham and the Architecture Review’s promotion of ‘Brutalism’ as an anti-aesthetic which took its conceptual form from early twentieth century art movements, particularly Futurism. The second, identified with Architectural Design in the 1990’s is ‘Minimalism’, a term describing a strand of the visual arts of the 1960’s which can be understood as an attempt to nuance and add seriousness to the present rampant nostalgia for the style of the architecture of the 1960’s.

The oil shock of 2005

During the course of 2005, the price of crude oil reached unprecedented high levels, at least in nominal terms. Australian motorists have become used to paying more than a dollar a litre for petrol. Given the past volatility in oil prices, often described in terms of a series of oil ‘shocks’ (the large price increases in 1973, 1979 and 1999), several questions arise. First, will current high prices persist, or will prices decline substantially as occurred after previous oil shocks? Second, is the current shortage of oil a temporary phenomenon, caused by inadequate investment in oil exploration, drilling and refining capacity, or is it a signal that the supply of oil available to the world has peaked? Third, will high oil prices lead to broader economic disruption, as is commonly supposed to have happened after previous shocks? Fourth, how painful will an adjustment to lower use of oil be? Finally, how does all this relate to our efforts to deal with the problem of climate change? This article is an effort to answer some of these questions in the light of the knowledge available to us.

Molecular systematics of the Philippine malaria vector Anopheles flavirostris

Allozyme and molecular sequence data from the malaria vector Anopheles flavirostris (Ludlow) (Diptera: Culicidae) were analysed from 34 sites throughout the Philippines, including the type locality, to test the hypothesis that this taxon is a single panmictic species. A finer-scaled allozyme study, of mainly Luzon samples, revealed no fixed genetic differences in sympatric sites and only low levels of variation. We obtained data from partial sequences for the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) (483 bp), the third domain (D3) (330 bp) of the 28S ribosomal DNA subunit and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) of mitochondrial DNA (261 bp). No sequence variation was observed for ITS2, only a one base pair difference was observed between Philippine and Indonesian D3 sequences and An. flavirostris sequences were unique, confirming their diagnostic value for this taxon. Sixteen COI haplotypes were identified, giving 25 parsimony informative sites. Neighbour-Joining, Maximum Parsimony, Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of COI sequences for An. flavirostris and outgroup taxa revealed strong branch support for the monophyly of An. flavirostris, thus confirming that Philippine populations of this taxon comprise a single separate species within the Minimus Subgroup of the Funestus Group. Variation in the behaviour of An. flavirostris is likely to be intraspecific rather than interspecific in origin. © 2006 The Royal Entomological Society.

Validation of a generalized transfer function to noninvasively derive central blood pressure during exercise

Exercise brachial blood pressure ( BP) predicts mortality, but because of wave reflection, central ( ascending aortic) pressure differs from brachial pressure. Exercise central BP may be clinically important, and a noninvasive means to derive it would be useful. The purpose of this study was to test the validity of a noninvasive technique to derive exercise central BP. Ascending aortic pressure waveforms were recorded using a micromanometer-tipped 6F Millar catheter in 30 patients (56 +/- 9 years; 21 men) undergoing diagnostic coronary angiography. Simultaneous recordings of the derived central pressure waveform were acquired using servocontrolled radial tonometry at rest and during supine cycling. Pulse wave analysis of the direct and derived pressure signals was performed offline (SphygmoCor 7.01). From rest to exercise, mean arterial pressure and heart rate were increased by 20 +/- 10 mm Hg and 15 +/- 7 bpm, respectively, and central systolic BP ranged from 77 to 229 mm Hg. There was good agreement and high correlation between invasive and noninvasive techniques with a mean difference (+/- SD) for central systolic BP of -1.3 +/- 3.2 mm Hg at rest and -4.7 +/- 3.3 mm Hg at peak exercise ( for both r=0.995; P < 0.001). Conversely, systolic BP was significantly higher peripherally than centrally at rest (155 +/- 33 versus 138 +/- 32mm Hg; mean difference, -16.3 +/- 9.4mm Hg) and during exercise (180 +/- 34 versus 164 +/- 33 mm Hg; mean difference, -15.5 +/- 10.4 mm Hg; for both P < 0.001). True myocardial afterload is not reliably estimated by peripheral systolic BP. Radial tonometry and pulse wave analysis is an accurate technique for the noninvasive determination of central BP at rest and during exercise.

Toxinology in Australia's colonial era: A chronology and perspective of human envenomation in 19th century Australia

The medical management of those envenomed by snakes, spiders and poisonous fish in Australia featured extensively in the writings 19th century doctors, expeditioners and anthropologists. Against the background of this introduced medical doctrine there already existed an extensive tradition of Aboriginal medical lore; techniques of heat treatment, suction, incision and the application of plant-derived pharmacological substances featured extensively in the management of envenomed victims. The application of a hair-string or grass-string ligature, suctioning of the bite-site and incision were practised in a variety of combinations. Such evolved independently of and pre-dated such practices, which were promoted extensively by immigrant European doctors in the late 19th century. Pacific scientific toxinology began in the 17th century with Don Diego de Prado y Tovar's 1606 account of ciguatera. By the end of the 19th century more than 30 papers and books had defined the natural history of Australian elapid poisoning. The medical management of snakebite in Australia was the focus of great controversy from 1860 to 1900. Dogmatic claims of the supposed antidote efficacy of intravenous ammonia by Professor G.B. Halford, and that of strychnine by Dr. Augustus Mueller, claimed mainstream medical attention. This era of potential iatrogenic disaster and dogma was brought to a conclusion by the objective experiments of Joseph Lauterer and Thomas Lane Bancroft in 1890 in Brisbane; and by those of C.J. Martin (from 1893) and Frank Tidswell (from 1898), both of Sydney. The modern era of Australian toxinology developed as a direct consequence of Calmette's discovery, in Paris in 1894, of immune serum, which was protective against snakebite. We review the key contributors and discoveries of toxinology in colonial Australia.

Exclusionary DNA of forensic workers and Australian forensic procedures legislation

Consideration of regulatory issues covering exclusionary DNA of forensic workers - probative effect of eliminating extraneous DNA in a criminal prosecution - current regulatory scheme leaves the legal position of forensic workers' exclusionary DNA obscure.