Distribution and evolution of the Anopheles punctulatus group (Diptera : Culicidae) in Australia and Papua New Guinea

The members of the Anopheles punctulatus group are major vectors of malaria and Bancroftian filariasis in the southwest Pacific region. The group is comprised of 12 cryptic species that require DNA-based tools for species identification. From 1984 to 1998 surveys were carried out in northern Australia, Papua New Guinea and on islands in the southwest Pacific to determine the distribution of the A. punctulatus group. The results of these surveys have now been completed and have generated distribution data from more than 1500 localities through this region. Within this region several climatic and geographical barriers were identified that restricted species distribution and gene flow between geographic populations. This information was further assessed in light of a molecular phylogeny derived from the ssrDNA (18S). Subsequently, hypotheses have been generated on the evolution and distribution of the group so that future field and laboratory studies may be approached more systematically. This study suggested that the ability for widespread dispersal was found to have appeared independently in species that show niche-specific habitat preference (Anopheles farauti s.s. and A. punctulatus) and conversely in species that showed diversity in their larval habitat (Anopheles farauti 2). Adaptation to the monsoonal climate of northern Australia and southwest Papua New Guinea was found to have appeared independently in A. farauti s.s., A. farauti 2 and Anopheles farauti 3. Shared or synapomorphic characters were identified as saltwater tolerance (A. farauti s.s. and Anopheles farauti 7) and elevational affinities above 1500 m (Anopheles farauti 5, Anopheles farauti 6 and A. farauti 2). (C) 2002 Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Young women in conflict: Filipinas growing up in Australia

This paper discusses the tensions of adaptation as experienced by 72 young women, born in the Philippines or to immigrant mothers and resident in southeast, far west and far north Queensland, Australia. As illustrated, these women, aged 14-25 years, often have difficulty balancing their expectations with those of their families and of the society in which they live. Like most young Australians they experience some conflicts with parents, but the intersections of race, gender and culture may make it particularly difficult for young Filipinas to develop a sense of their own identity and place in society. The retention of Filipino values often isolates young women from their peers and excludes them from participating in activities considered an important part of growing up Australian, but the adoption of 'Australian' behaviors such as drinking and smoking is not necessarily accompanied by an enhanced sense of belonging.

Long-term trends in sunshine duration and its association with schizophrenia birth rates and age at first registration - data from Australia and the Netherlands

Back ground. Based on the well-described excess of schizophrenia births in winter and spring, we hypothesised that individuals with schizophrenia (a) would be more likely to be born during periods of decreased perinatal sunshine, and (b) those born during periods of less sunshine would have an earlier age of first registration. Methods. We undertook an ecological analysis of long-term trends in perinatal sunshine duration and schizophrenia birth rates based on two mental health registers (Queensland. Australia n = 6630; The Netherlands n = 24, 474). For each of the 480 months between 1931 and 1970, the agreement between slopes of the trends in psychosis and long-term sunshine duration series were assessed. Age at first registration was assessed by quartiles of long-term trends in perinatal sunshine duration, Males and females were assessed separately. Results. Both the Dutch and Australian data showed a statistically significant association between falling long-term trends in sunshine duration around the time of birth and rising schizophrenia birth rates for males only. In both the Dutch and Australian data there were significant associations between earlier age of first registration and reduced long-term trends in sunshine duration around the time of birth for both males and females, Conclusions. A measure of long-term trends in perinatal sunshine duration was associated with two epidemiological features of schizophrenia in two separate data sets. Exposures related to sunshine duration warrant further consideration in schizophrenia research. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Airborne pollen of Brisbane, Australia: a five-year record, 1994-1999

The seasonal incidence of pollen in the atmosphere of Brisbane has been established from a near continuous. volumetric trapping program over the five-year period, July 1994-June 1999. Grass pollen accounts for 71.6% of the average annual pollen load with highest densities (up to 150 grains/m(3)) recorded in summer and autumn. Significant contributions were also made by taxa of the Cupressaceae (8.7%) and Urticaceae (1.8%) during spring and of the Pinaceae (4.5%) during winter. Pollen seasons of the Casuarinaceae (6.5%) and Myrtaceae (3.2%) are more extended, the former peaking in late winter and the latter in late spring. The onset and duration of the Poaceae and Urticaceae seasons varied from year to year, being later when precipitation levels were low in the late spring-early summer months. Total pollen numbers and grass pollen densities are substantially less than those recorded from southern Australia. Nevertheless, respiratory disease in Brisbane affects up to 10% of the population, and airborne pollen of Poaceae, Urticaceae, Cupressaceae, Pinaceae, and Myrtaceae have been implicated in the release of allergens.

Spondylostrobus F. Mueller: operculate fruits of an extinct dicotyledon from the mid-Tertiary of Australia

Spondylostrobus F. Mueller, which accommodates operculate fruit-stones reported only from the mid-Tertiary of Australia, is redefined on the basis of type and other specimens of the type species, S. smythii F. Mueller, and of specimens included in S. rozefeldsii sp. nov. The globose to ellipsoidal fruits have 3-6 locules symmetrically disposed around a massive fibrous axis. Each locule has a single anatropous ovule, axile placentation, and a dorsal germination operculum that extends from near the base to the apex. In possessing these characters Spondylostrobus more closely resembles operculate fruits within the tribe Spondiadeae (Anacardiaceae) than operculate fruits of other dicotyledonous families. Spondylostrobus has widespread distribution in Oligocene-Miocene sediments of eastern Australia. At many localities it is associated with fruit-stones having affinities with extant taxa that now occur in rainforests, monsoonal forests, and fringing communities of northern Australia. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Identification of research to improve the efficiency of breeding strategies for white clover in Australia - a review

A major challenge faced by today's white clover breeder is how to manage resources within a breeding program. It is essential to utilise these resources with sufficient flexibility to build on past progress from conventional breeding strategies, but also take advantage of emerging opportunities from molecular breeding tools such as molecular markers and transformation. It is timely to review white clover breeding strategies. This background can then be used as a foundation for considering how to continue conventional plant improvement activities and complement them with molecular breeding opportunities. In this review, conventional white clover breeding strategies relevant to the Australian dryland target population environments are considered. Attention is given to: (i) availability of genetic variation, (ii) characterisation of germplasm collections, (iii) quantitative models for estimation of heritability, (iv) the role of multi-environment trials to accommodate genotype-by-environment interactions, (v) interdisciplinary research to understand adaptation to dryland environments, (vi) breeding and selection strategies, and (vii) cultivar structure. Current achievements in biotechnology with specific reference to white clover breeding in Australia are considered, and computer modelling of breeding programs is discussed as a useful integrative tool for the joint evaluation of conventional and molecular breeding strategies and optimisation of resource use in breeding programs. Four areas are identified as future research priorities: (i) capturing the potential genetic diversity among introduced accessions and ecotypes that are adapted to key constraints such as summer moisture stress and the use of molecular markers to assess the genetic diversity, (ii) understanding the underlying physiological/morphological root and shoot mechanisms involved in water use efficiency of white clover, with the objective of identifying appropriate selection criteria, (iii) estimation of quantitative genetic parameters of important morphological/physiological attributes to enable prediction of response to selection in target environments, and (iv) modelling white clover breeding strategies to evaluate the opportunities for integration of molecular breeding strategies with conventional breeding programs.

Overseas Visitor Deaths in Australia: 1997-2000

Reassuring visitors about their health and safety is particularly important for tourist destinations since the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. This study examined the deaths of 1513 overseas visitors to Australia over a four-year period, and found that most deaths (76%) were due to natural causes.Among the accidental deaths, the main causes were motor vehicle crashes and water-related incidents. The study findings support a widely held view that Australia is a safe destination for overseas visitors. It also provides a safety benchmark for other tourist destinations.

Streptococcus pyogenes prtFII, but not sfbI, sfbII or fbp54, is represented more frequently among invasive-disease isolates of tropical Australia

Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus) strains may express several distinct fibronectin-binding proteins (FBPs) which are considered as major streptococcal adhesins. Of the FBPs, SfbI was shown in vitro to promote internalization of the bacterium into host cells and has been implicated in persistence. In the tropical Northern Territory, where group A streptococcal infection is common, multiple genotypes of the organism were found among isolates from invasive disease cases and no dominant strains were observed. To determine whether any FBPs is associated with invasive disease propensity of S. pyogenes, we have screened streptococcal isolates from bacteraemic and necrotizing fasciitis patients and isolates from uncomplicated infections for genetic endowment of 4 FBPs. No difference was observed in the distribution of sfbII, fbp54 and sfbI between the blood isolates' and isolates from uncomplicated infection. We conclude that the presence of sfbI does not appear to promote invasive diseases, despite its association with persistence. We also show a higher proportion of group A streptococcus strains isolated from invasive disease cases possess prtFII when compared to strains isolated from non-invasive disease cases. We suggest that S. pyogenes may recruit different FBPs for different purposes.

Perceptions of younger, middle-aged, and older adults in Australia and Japan: Stereotypes and age group vitality

This study investigated the perceptions of young adults in Japan and Australia about their own age group, as well as middle-aged and older adults. Using a self-administered questionnaire, 155 Japanese and 171 Australian students rated people in the three age groups on traits of personal vitality and benevolence, and also rated their age group vitalities. Results indicated that Australians perceived both middle-aged and older adults in more positive terms than did Japanese and also perceived the vitality of these age groups as higher. On the other hand, both Japanese and Australian young people judged the vitality of their own group as lower than that of middle-aged adults. These results suggest that norms of filial piety, especially its respect dimension, in Japan may be eroding, whereas older Australians may be gaining in social stature.

Point source inoculation of Mesocyclops (Copepoda : Cyclopidae) gives widespread control of Ochlerotatus and Aedes (Diptera : Culicidae) immatures in service manholes and pits in North Queensland, Australia

This study details the novel application of predacious copepods, genus Mesocyclops, for control of Ochlerotatus tremulus (Theobald) group and Aedes aegypti (L.) mosquito larvae in subterranean habitats in north Queensland, Australia. During June 1997, 50 Mesocyclops sp. I were inoculated into one service manhole in South Townsville. Wet season rainfall and flooding in both 1998 and 2000 was responsible for the dispersal of copepods via the underground pipe system to 29 of 35 manholes over an area of 1.33 km(2). Significant reductions in Aedes and Ochlerotatus larvae ensued. In these habitats, Mesocyclops and Metacyclops were able to survive dry periods, when substrate moisture content ranged from 13.8 to 79.9%. At the semiarid inland towns of Hughenden and Richmond, cracking clay soil prevents drainage of water from shallow service pits where Oc. tremulus immatures numbered from 292-18,460 per pit. Introduction of Mesocyclops copepods into these sites during May 1999 resulted in 100% control of Oc. tremulus for 18 mo. One uninoculated pit subsequently became positive for Mesocyclops with resultant control of mosquito larvae.

Immunological response mounted by Aboriginal Australians living in the Northern Territory of Australia against Streptococcus pyogenes serum opacity factor

Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A streptococcus) interacts with host fibronectin via a number of distinct surface components. The streptococcal serum opacity factor (SOF) is a cell-surface protein of S. pyogenes which opalescence of human serum and mediates bacterial binding to fibronectin. In this study, hexahistidyl-tagged fusion proteins encompassing full-length SOF, and domains of SOF encompassing opacity factor activity and fibronectin-binding regions, were used in the characterization of the Aboriginal immune response to SOF. Anti-SOF serum IgG responses were found to be significantly higher (P